Player Playoffs Eligibility Rules

[Steve Strzepek of BTTF]

What are the rules for players being on the playoff rosters ? In our OOTP league, we can not have any player on the post season roster that has not appeared in a game after August 31st when the rosters expand to 40 players. In other words, September callups can not be placed on the post season rosters unless they appeared in a game prior to September 1st. In the majors, I think contending teams have to set their playoff rosters as is on August 31st. If so, how can the Anaheim Angels bring up the Rodriguez kid as a September callup and have him play in the playoffs? Was he brought up on August 31st or on the roster as is on August 31st? Anybody know this rule out there ?

[Scott Vibert]

I believe the rules are as follows:

Any player on the roster as of August 31 is eligible, as are all players on the DL on that date. In addition, if they have a playoff eligible player on the DL (it may require the 60 man DL be used (which takes a player off the roster, I remember the Red Sox placing guys on the 60 day DL late in the season in the past to take advantage of this loophole) then the team can add a player to fill the eligibility spot. (In the Angels case this player is I think Steve Green, who's on the 60 day DL)

Edit - Here is an article I found mentioning the loophole that got the Angels Pitcher Eligible.

The Yankees used a loophole in baseball's rules to add Darryl Strawberry and Clay Bellinger to their postseason roster, putting catcher Vidal Candelaria and Casey Degroote on the 60-day disabled list on Aug. 1. Because the two were on the DL, baseball rules allowed the Yankees to substitute any two players from their organization, even if they weren't on the 40-man roster on Aug. 31.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...einbrenner_ap/