Out for two months, Carpenter says he’s ready
Knicks coach says Quickley capable of playing point and shooting guard
Matt Carpenter is set to be back for the ALDS.
“I fully expect that,’’ Aaron Boone said of Carpenter being on the roster for the ALDS when the Yankees play the Guardians on Tuesday in The Bronx. “He looks great. He’s been getting all his live at-bats.”
He was good enough to homer off Nestor Cortes in live batting practice on Saturday at the Stadium.
“I feel like I’m ready,’’ Carpenter said. “Just the way I feel physically and have been able to get some at-bats here recently and have competitive at-bats.”
He last played on Aug. 8, when Carpenter fouled a ball off his left foot in a game in Seattle.
While he is good to go at the plate, it’s unclear if Carpenter will be able to play the field. He did some work at first base and in the outfield on Sunday.
If Carpenter is unable to play the field, he’ll either be limited to pinch-hitting duties or Giancarlo Stanton will have to play the outfield, which Stanton and Boone said they were open to, despite Stanton’s foot injuries in the second half.
“If that’s something that’s gonna work out and make us the [most] complete team, we’ll definitely have to take a look at it,’’ Stanton said.
Andrew Benintendi, who is out with a fractured hook of the hamate bone in his right wrist, is “a long shot” for the ALDS, according to Boone.
“He is getting close,” Boone said. “He is starting to hit some live [pitching] and is getting better every day.”
Boone said the Yankees had not decided whether to include DJ LeMahieu on the roster as of Sunday, as they wait to see how much LeMahieu is limited by the inflamed right toe that’s plagued him in the second half.
He’s due to get live at-bats on Monday. ➤ Clay Holmes (shoulder) was able to throw off a mound Friday and is scheduled to face hitters Monday, putting him in line to be on the ALDS roster, but perhaps not available for Game 1 on Tuesday.
“We’ll have to see how things respond after [Monday] and go from there,’’ Holmes said of being available Tuesday. “I definitely think it may be somewhat of a possibility. It just all depends on how things bounce back.”
That’s good news for a Yankees bullpen that has dealt with plenty of injuries down the stretch.
General manager Brian Cashman said Sunday he expected Holmes to be the closer if he’s healthy and Holmes said his velocity was back.
➤ Jameson Taillon will be available out of the bullpen, at least for Game 1.
“I think [Taillon] could fit in everywhere from getting us meaningful innings in a certain game to a big spot and a highleverage spot late to closing a game,’’ Boone said. “I really feel like he has the makeup to handle whatever we throw at him.”
The right-hander could also be used to start Game 4, if the series gets that far.
Domingo German could be used in a similar role out of the pen.
Immanuel Quickley always has considered himself a combo guard, capable of effectively running the offense from the point or playing off the ball.
Quickley was pressed into far more minutes at point guard last year than he’d logged over his first two seasons with the Knicks, especially with Derrick Rose sidelined after Dec. 16 following multiple ankle surgeries and Kemba Walker’s departure from the team in February.
With the addition of $104 million free agent Jalen Brunson as the starting point guard and the return of the 34-year-old Rose to the second unit, however, Quickley’s versatility presents Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau with added flexibility to mix and match his rotation combinations in the backcourt.
“He’s both. … I look at Quick as a combo guard, and when you analyze the point guards in our league, they’re all different,” Thibodeau said after the Knicks held an open practice for select fans Sunday at Columbia. “There’s more scoring point guards than ever, so you want a combination of both.
“Derrick is a power point guard, and Quick is good coming off catch-and-shoot. He did a lot of that in college [at Kentucky], but he was a point guard in high school. So he’s comfortable playing both.”
With starting shooting guard Evan Fournier rested and backup Quentin Grimes sidelined for a second straight preseason game with a foot injury, Thibodeau employed three guards together at times on the second unit in Friday’s win over Indiana with Quickley, Rose and speedy Miles McBride alongside bigs Obi Toppin and Isaiah Hartenstein.
“Any of us can bring the ball up to start the offense,” Quickley said Sunday of the three-guard alignment. “It’s three playmakers on the floor at once, and defensively I feel like you don’t lose anything, as well. I feel like we’re all really good defenders.
“We can just create for each other, get in the lane, create offense, score the ball, create for our teammates. So I feel like it works in all facets.”
After finishing last season averaging 11.3 points and 3.5 assists in 23.1 minutes per game, the 23-year-old Quickley has said that he added muscle to his upper body over the summer.
Asked where he’s noticed the biggest difference on the court, Quickley replied, “I feel defensively is definitely one, finishing around the basket, and just having legs on my jump shot. I want to have a great year defensively, a higher field-goal percentage and just being more consistent. Being stronger I feel is going to help on both sides of the court.”
Quickley added that he’s “learned so much” during his time as teammates with Rose, a former league MVP with the Bulls as a 22-year-old in 2010-11.
“He’s somebody that I looked up to when I was younger, I watched his game a lot. Youngest MVP [in league history]. So you can learn a lot from guys like that,” Quickley said. “He’s one of the best players in our league, with a lot of experience. So it’s great to learn from somebody like that.
“His pace, how the game is slow for him. All types of things. He’s been in the league for a minute, so he’s meant a lot to me.”
Quickley also has been picking the brain of and building a relationship with Brunson, the former Maverick who landed a four-year deal worth $104 million in July.
“Obviously, everybody sees everything he does on the floor, but I feel like leader-wise, he’s somebody in the huddle who’s very vocal and very positive,” Quickley said. “I actually went to his house [Saturday] night and we just kicked it. So he’s somebody you can talk to off the floor, too, chill with. He’s gonna be great for this team.”