The New York Yankees had to make some quick and difficult decisions on Tuesday night after defeating the Cleveland Guardians to reach the ALCS. With their best-of-seven series against the Houston Astros set to get underway on Wednesday, the Yankees had minimal time to finalize their ALCS roster. Among those who were excluded from the ALDS setup and hoping to get back into the mix for the Conference Series was star infielder DJ LeMahieu, who has been hobbled by a toe injury.

The Yankees informed LeMahieu on Wednesday morning that he would not be part of the team's ALCS roster, in what is a major disappointment for both the fan base and the player.

Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, LeMahieu took batting practice on Tuesday and left the session hopeful of being activated for the ALCS. Unfortunately, it seems the Yankees don't feel he's ready to return just yet, or don't feel that he can contribute at the level necessary if he was activated. The team surprisingly opted to keep LeMahieu off of the ALCS roster, meaning his only chance to return this year would come in the World Series, if the Yankees qualify.

Also missing out on the roster cut was Ron Marinaccio, who also indicated he was hoping to be activated by the Yankees in time for the ALCS. Andrew Benintendi, who is recovering from a wrist injury, was also left out, but that's less of a surprise given his timeline.

DJ LeMahieu has been one of the Yankees' best players since joining the team in 2019. After a strong start in 2022, LeMahieu's production dropped off a cliff during the second half as a result of his toe injury. In 42 games during the second half of the year, the 34-year-old slashed just .228/.308/.635 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 162 at-bats.