Ahead of Tuesday night's Game 1 of the World Series between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals, both teams revealed their official 25-man rosters for the series.
The National League champions tweeted out a rundown of their squad Tuesday morning:
Shortly thereafter, the Royals' official Twitter account made the American League champs' roster public as well:
While both rosters look as expected for the most part, each boasts one surprise of varying degrees.
For the Mets, utilityman Juan Uribe is among manager Terry Collins' 25 options despite not having played since Sept. 25 due to a chest injury.
He replaces infielder Matt Reynolds in a move that should give New York more punch off the bench. The 36-year-old Uribe is a 15-year veteran who produced 14 home runs during the regular season between the Mets, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Also, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is part of the roster as expected despite dealing with a shoulder injury. According to Marly Rivera of ESPN Deportes (h/t ESPN.com's Adam Rubin), the Cuban star has no reservations about playing in Game 1 even though he isn't fully healthy.
I feel much better. I'm not 100 percent, but I know I'll be ready for Tuesday. The cortisone shot relieved the pain and inflammation. But even if I'm not 100 percent, I am certain I will play on Tuesday. The doctor told me my AC joint is a bit swollen, and that's why it hurt. It happens to many athletes, but it is not a serious injury, and will heal quickly.
As for the Royals, 20-year-old infielder Raul Mondesi Jr.—who is the son of longtime Major League outfielder Raul Mondesi—is on the roster over speedy outfielder Terrance Gore.
Mondesi Jr. has never played above AA, and per Elliott Metz of KCTV5, he will be the first player in league history to make his MLB debut in the World Series if he plays.
Gore was almost exclusively used as a pinch runner, which is a role Mondesi can fill in addition to being a defensive replacement if need be.
Aside from those slight changes, the Mets and Royals will go to battle with the players who helped them get to this point in the League Division and League Championship Series.
That means New York will lean on a dominant rotation consisting of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, in addition to second baseman Daniel Murphy, who has homered in six straight games.
Much like last year, KC boasts an elite bullpen of Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson, but it also has a strong lineup from top to bottom including the likes of Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales and ALCS MVP Alcides Escobar.
The 2015 World Series looks to be an extremely even matchup on paper, so even though roster additions like Uribe and Mondesi may look fairly inconsequential on paper, they have a chance to play a big role with so little separating the two teams.
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