Amed

Rosario

Stanton left Friday’s win with tightness in his right calf, and the Yankees will not take any risks with the slugger. Amed Rosario is the designated hitter with Stanton day-to-day and hit sixth.

Rosario got to face Ranger Suarez twice, but as soon as a righty came in, he was replaced by Ben Rice. It hurts Rosario’s case for more playing time that he’s just not very valuable defensively. He has an .880 OPS while mostly playing versus lefties, but he’s been lifted midgame in seven of his 14 starts to date.

Even with left-hander Sam Aldegheri on the mound, the Yankees will let Rice play first base over Paul Goldschmidt. This might be because Aaron Boone doesn’t expect Aldegheri, who’s pitched just 13 innings in three minor league starts, to pitch deep into this game. However, we know that Rice has hit lefties well of late, so this could be a good indication that the Yankees are open to getting Rice into the lineup when they have to face many lefties in a short period of time. Amed Rosario will get into the starting lineup at third base today with Ryan McMahon sitting, even though McMahon started against the last lefty they faced.

Reid Detmers doesn’t have extreme splits,, but the Yankees are giving several left-handed hitters the night off against Detmers on Tuesday. Chisholm, Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice will all sit and Paul Goldschmidt, Randal Grichuk and Amed Rosario will get a chance to play.

With left-hander Jeffrey Springs on the mound, the Yankees will give Jazz Chisholm the day off and let Rosario play second base and lead off. Rosario has been playing well to start the season and could push Ryan McMahon for playing time at third base if he keeps hitting well.

Rosario picked an opportune moment to record his first multi-homer performance since August 31, 2021. The 30-year-old utility specialist took Athletics starter Aaron Civale deep in the second inning before slugging a go-ahead three-run blast off reliever Mark Leiter Jr. in the eighth. He was responsible for manufacturing four of New York’s five runs on a frigid 40-degree evening at Yankee Stadium.

McMahon has been awful to begin the season, going 2-for-23 with an OPS of just .363. He’ll get a break even with right-hander Aaron Civale on the bump for the A’s, and Amed Rosario will get the start at third while hitting seventh.

McMahon is off to a rough start to the season, going 1-for-14 with seven strikeouts and two walks. McMahon also had a poor season last year, but had spent the offseason working on tweaking his stance and swing mechanics. So far, it has not worked. The Yankees will keep him in the lineup regularly because he plays good defense, but you have to wonder if Jose Caballero plays more third base once Anthony Volpe returns. Amed Rosario will start at third base on Wednesday and hit seventh.

No word yet on the reason for the move. Rosario is slated to open the season in a multi-faceted reserve role on New York’s bench. There should be an update on his status after the contest.

Rosario, who agreed to the deal over two weeks ago, is again signing very cheap at $2.5 million, but at least that’s $500,000 more than last year. He made $7.8 million in his final year of arbitration in 2023 and now a total of $5 million the three subsequent years. Rosario wound up hitting .276/.309/.436 in 191 plate appearances for the Nationals and Yankees last season. That was good for a 109 OPS+, the best mark of his career. The Yankees will likely primarily use him to spell corner infielders Ben Rice and Ryan McMahon against lefties. He’ll also be an option at shortstop while Anthony Volpe is out, but José Caballero figures to be the main guy there.