The New York Yankees announced their lineup for the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, to be played at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. Starting at 1:07 pm. Manager Aaron Boone is making quite a few changes to his usual lineup for the contest.
The Yankees are getting Gleyber Torres back in the lineup, as he missed Tuesday’s game with a jammed right ring finger that he suffered on Monday while diving into a base. He underwent a CT scan and X-rays to dismiss any structural damage.
However, the Yankees’ skipper had stated on Tuesday that he hoped to have Torres back for the finale, and he got his wish.
Yankees’ second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who is the regular leadoff hitter, is sitting today, with Rougned Odor taking his place at the keystone. That means center fielder Aaron Hicks, long viewed by some as the ideal leadoff hitter by virtue of his elite eye at the plate, will hit first against the Jays on Wednesday.
The Yankees’ lineup experiment
Regular designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is also sitting, as Gary Sanchez will occupy the DH spot. Boone wants to involve Yankees’ backup catcher Kyle Higashioka more, after his two-homer performance on Monday to give the Bombers a win.
Another noteworthy development is that lefty-hitting outfielder Brett Gardner is hitting third in the lineup, right between Aaron Judge and Sanchez, as a way to break up the right-handed hitters.
The struggling Jay Bruce, who was appointed as the Yankees’ first baseman from the moment Luke Voit injured his knee in spring training, appears in the sixth spot of the order, ahead of third baseman Gio Urshela.
Corey Kluber, who has struggled to a 5.68 ERA so far in the 2021 season, will take the hill.
Here is the full Yankees’ lineup:
CF Aaron Hicks
RF Aaron Judge
LF Brett Gardner
DH Gary Sanchez
SS Gleyber Torres
1B Jay Bruce
3B Gio Urshela
2B Rougned Odor
C Kyle Higashioka