The New York Yankees are 6-11 in the young 2021 season, and they have had all kinds of problems getting going at the plate. Except for a couple of bright spots, almost the entire unit is struggling to score runs consistently.
Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone recently said he would have no problems shaking things up as far as lineup construction concerns, and he is doing just that as the Bombers will start a four-game series today against Cleveland.
The Yankees, as of Thursday afternoon, have the second-worst offense in Major League Baseball by WAR, with -0.1. They also have the third-worst weighted Runs Created Plus, or wRC+, with 82, and have scored the third-fewest runs, with 59. Star performers such as Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks, and Clint Frazier have had a really tough time.
For the first game of the series against Cleveland, the Yankees are batting Mike Ford, recently called up from the alternate training site to substitute the retiring Jay Bruce, in the cleanup spot. Brett Gardner is occupying the first spot in the batting order, with DJ LeMahieu in the second hole.
Yankees are shaking things up
Aaron Judge, one of the few bright spots in the Yankees’ offense, is batting third against Cleveland’s starter Aaron Civale. Ford is fourth, and Gleyber Torres, mired in an horrific slump, maintains the fifth position.
The struggling Hicks, usually the third hitter, appears in the sixth spot, followed by Rougned Odor, Clint Frazier, and Kyle Higashioka.
Gio Urshela is sitting with a back issue, but should be back out there on the weekend.
The Yankees have the worst record in the American League and have dropped six of the last seven games they have played. They are looking to revive an offense that has consistently been one of the best in major league baseball in the last few years but has been unable to produce in the early days of the 2021 season.
Here is the Yankees’ full lineup:
LF Brett Gardner
3B DJ LeMahieu
DH Aaron Judge
1B Mike Ford
SS Gleyber Torres
CF Aaron Hicks
2B Rougned Odor
RF Clint Frazier
C Kyle Higashioka