Aaron Boone explains Yankees' postseason pitching plan: 'We're going to be a little untraditional'

The Yankees will only use James Paxton as a traditional starter

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is set to lead the club to its third consecutive postseason appearance. Boone, whose been dealt a short-staffed rotation due to injuries, told Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci that he plans to use piggyback starters and his key relief pitchers for playoff games next month. From Verducci:

"We're going to be a little untraditional," manager Aaron Boone said. "The only one we might use as a traditional starter is [James] Paxton." By traditional, Boone means a starting pitcher who goes as deep as he can into a game. Otherwise, New York is prepared to script each game with piggyback starters and six key relievers.

James Paxton, who missed some time this season with left knee soreness, has been one of the more reliable Yankees starters as of late. The 30-year-old picked up his ninth straight win in Sunday's start against the Blue Jays. In those last nine starts, Paxton is 9-0 with a 2.50 ERA, and he's given up just one run in his last 18.2 innings. Paxton ranks third, behind Masahiro Tanaka (30) and J.A. Happ (29) for the most starts this season, with 27. Our own RJ Anderson recently wrote how Paxton found success with a tweak to his pitch-usage, and how the lefty can be a key for the Yankees' World Series hopes.

The piggybacking method isn't an entirely new concept in baseball, and it falls in the same family as teams using an "opener" or "bullpenning." But it's certainly something new for the Yankees, who haven't been able to nail down a solid, consistent four or five starters for a rotation this season.

Domingo German (18-4) has been one of the team's most reliable starters, and Boone has said that German will likely be able to fill a variety of pitching roles in the postseason. Left-hander CC Sabathia is fighting against time as his 39-year-old knees are feeling the wear and tear more than ever. Sabathia's role in the final weeks of the regular season, and then in the postseason will be a little bit fluid, with Boone hinting at possibly using Sabathia out of the bullpen.

Masahiro Tanaka has posted a 10-8 record and 4.60 ERA in a season that's been plagued by inconsistency for the right-hander. J.A. Happ saw some rough stretches this season, and is now currently dealing with biceps tendinitis, which the left-hander had apparently been fighting through with for his last few starts.

Jordan Montgomery only made his season debut on Sunday after recovering from Tommy John surgery last year. And, finally, Luis Severino is set to make his debut on Tuesday against the Angels at Yankee Stadium.

The first-place Yankees' magic number to clinch their first American League East title since 2012 is down to three as of Tuesday. Despite a slew of injuries to the roster, New York has managed to not just stay afloat in the playoff race, but sit at the top, as the team competes with the Astros and Dodgers for the best regular season record in baseball.