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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
CLEVELAND — The New York Yankees didn’t just lose a wild Game 3 to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. They also lost one of their relievers for the remainder of the postseason.
Ian Hamilton, who departed Thursday’s game with a left calf injury, was removed from the team’s roster before Game 4 on Friday. Mark Leiter Jr., another right-handed reliever, took Hamilton’s place.
Major League Baseball approved the substitution after an independent doctor reviewed Hamilton’s medical information; teams are only allowed to make roster changes during a postseason series if a player is injured. By rule, Hamilton is ineligible to play in the World Series should the Yankees advance.
Hamilton, 29, suffered the calf injury running to cover first base for an out in the sixth inning. He then exited after facing just two batters. The veteran appeared in two postseason games for the Yankees after recording a 3.82 ERA in 35 games during the regular season. He spent nearly three months on the injured list with a strained right lat.
The Yankees acquired Leiter from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline for his elite ability to generate swing-and-misses. But Leiter struggled in New York, posting a 4.98 ERA in 21 appearances. He has yet to pitch in the postseason in his five-year major league career.