With the Yankees facing Guardians lefty Matthew Boyd in Game 3 of the ALCS, Aaron Boone made some significant changes to his lineup on Thursday.
“It’s really the first lefty we’ve faced in the playoffs, because I don’t count [Kansas City’s Cole] Ragans as a lefty,” the manager said with his Yankees holding a 2-0 series lead over Cleveland.
While Boone had not considered moving Giancarlo Stanton and his clutch postseason bat from the five hole to the cleanup spot earlier in the series, he made the switch for Game 3. The Yankees had Stanton bat fourth throughout the regular season with lefty starters on the mound, and the opportunity presented itself once again Thursday with Austin Wells on the bench.
Boone said it’s “possible” Stanton hits fourth without lefties on the mound moving forward this postseason, but the skipper prefers to “create as much balance as I can” when it comes to handedness.
Wells, a left-handed swinger and the Yankees’ go-to No. 4 hitter since the summer, had a .526 OPS against southpaws this year.
The rookie’s first postseason has also been a challenge, as Wells is 2-for-24 (.083) with zero extra-base hits over six games. He’s looked overmatched at times, picking up 10 strikeouts along the way.
“I think he’s locked in,” Boone said of Wells. “He’s obviously struggled a little bit, but I really don’t think he’s feeling that necessarily. I think he’s still playing at a really high level. I think he’s been amazing behind the plate. Even going through this, I still have a ton of confidence that he’s going to bring the right at-bat in a big situation.”
While Boone is not concerned, Wells has been struggling for some time. He put himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation with an offensive outburst over the summer, but he hit just .111/.217/.194 with one home run and 13 RBI over 21 games in September.
With Wells out of the lineup, Jose Trevino, a right-handed swinger, found himself receiving for the first time this October. Boone foreshadowed that move on Wednesday with the Yankees possibly playing three games in as many days in Cleveland.
Trevino has not appeared in a game since Sept. 29, the last day of the regular season. With Wells emerging as the Yankees’ top catcher, Trevino played in just 14 games after returning from a quad strain on Aug. 15.
“I think he’s handled it great,” Boone said of the Platinum Glover losing playing time. “He’s such a big part of it whether he’s in the lineup or not. Just in what he brings to the table day in and day out. He’s ready to go, and he wants to win.”
Boone also opted for a platoon advantage at first base.
While Anthony Rizzo produced at the plate in the first two games of the series after returning from two fractured fingers, the lefty swinger was replaced by Jon Berti.
Boone said that Rizzo is “doing well,” and he considered playing the veteran after he collected three hits across Games 1 and 2. However, Berti also impressed after making his first major league starts at first base during the ALDS.
“The way Rizz has looked, it gave me some pause today, but I also got a ton of confidence in Jon and how he looked in the first series,” Boone said. “Even down the stretch, I just feel like he looks really good and brings an element to the table. And I just want to be mindful of Rizz playing with broken [fingers]. As good as it’s gone, I want to keep that going, too, if we can.”
