With the New York Yankees having clinched the American League East division, they have shaken up the lineup to open their final series of the season at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Yankees are resting several key pieces Friday
Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Austin Wells, and Giancarlo Stanton were all left off of Friday’s lineup to get some additional rest. Wells has been slumping of late and was given the night off in favor of Jose Trevino. With the season all but wrapped up, the hope is that giving him some rest can help him find his footing at the plate again.
Trent Grisham will be getting the start in center field Friday night, while Oswaldo Cabrera will get the nod at first base. Juan Soto is in the lineup as the team’s designated hitter.
The Yankees riled off a thrilling victory Thursday night to clinch the division
Judge, Rizzo, and Stanton were all key players in Thursday’s division-clinching win over the Orioles. Stanton got the scoring started with a solo home run off of Orioles’ ace Corbin Burnes and later drilled a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning to put the Yankees up 5-0.
Judge homered for the fifth consecutive game on Thursday, smashing home run No. 58 on the season. He is now two home runs away from becoming just the third player in MLB history to have multiple 60+ home run seasons. Only Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have accomplished such a feat.
Rizzo drove in two runs with a single to cap off their six-run sixth inning. On the day, he was 2-for-4 with those two RBIs. The Yankees first baseman has started to swing a better bat of late, as he is 9-for-24 over his last seven games.
- Yankees’ high-leverage bullpen arm could return from injury for the ALDS
- Yankees’ veteran utility man eyeing a playoff return
- Yankees shake up lineup against Pirates, pulling several veterans
New York still has the opportunity to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AL, which would give them home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Evidently, though, the Yankees have shifted their focus toward the playoffs and preserving the health of their veterans.