New York Yankees make big infield change ahead of Wednesday’s game Vs. Baltimore

New York Yankees, Mike Ford
Feb 20, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Mike Ford (95) fields a ground ball during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees face off against the Baltimore Orioles in a revised match-up after the series against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed. The Orioles were expected to face off against the Miami Marlins, who have since had a COVID-19 outbreak within their ranks.

The last-minute change allows the Yankees to continue playing and retain their consistency. However, Opening Day’s lineup changed a bit, despite Gerrit Cole pitching against Baltimore.

The Yankees lineup Vs. Baltimore:

2B: DJ LeMaheiu

RF: Aaron Judge

SS: Gleyber Torres

DH: Giancarlo Stanton

CF: Aaron Hicks

1B: Mike Ford

C: Gary Sanche

3B: Gio Urshela

LF: Brett Gardner

The Yankees elected to go with Mike Ford at first base in the contest. Giving both Voit and Ford a chance to showcase their abilities is a good move, as the goal is ultimately to leave no stone unturned. Through three games, Voit is hitting .100 with one home run and one RBI. This will be Ford’s first action of the year, aside from one at-bar he earned a hit from.

Ford is one of the exciting young Yankees that have plenty of potential moving forward. Giving him opportunities to play live is only beneficial to the team, and if he struggles, they can always substitute Voit back in.

In for his rookie campaign in 2019, he hit .259 with 12 home runs and 25 RBIs. Defensively, he committed three errors and logged a .985 fielding percentage. Compared to Voit, who earned a .989 fielding percentage and gave up seven errors.