Yankees ALDS – Facing a stagnant offense and a must-win scenario, manager Aaron Boone has overhauled his Yankees lineup for Game 3 of the ALDS, moving Anthony Volpe and José Caballero into the starting rotation.
The silence in Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s phone was the loudest signal of the shift. During the AL Wild Card series against the Red Sox. manager Aaron Boone had reached out with a supportive text. calling him the most important person in the building. As the Yankees prepared for Wednesday’s must-win Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Rays. that message never came. Instead. the reality of a struggling offense forced a drastic change: Chisholm is out. and the lineup has been completely reshuffled.
After managing just two runs through the first two games of the series. the pressure to spark the bats has reached a tipping point. Boone opted to give starting nods to second baseman Anthony Volpe and third baseman José Caballero. who replaces Ryan McMahon at the hot corner. The manager also moved Trent Grisham into the leadoff spot. hoping to generate traffic before the heart of the order faces Rays pitching.
“I just felt like I wanted to change a couple of things up,” Boone said. “It’s two guys that have been an important part of what we’ve done all year.”
For Caballero. the start carries a personal weight; he has expressed a clear desire to make the Rays pay for trading him away last summer. Meanwhile, the decision to bench Chisholm follows a difficult stretch for the 28-year-old. Chisholm is hitless in six ALDS at-bats, despite recording a walk and a stolen base. His season. which began with aspirations of a 50-home run. 50-stolen base campaign. ended with a .231/.312/.399 slash line. 19 homers. 55 RBIs. and 41 steals over 137 games.
The tension was further highlighted by defensive lapses in Game 2 at Tropicana Field. where Chisholm committed one of the team’s four errors on a wide throw to first. When asked about the play, Chisholm stood by his decision, claiming he would attempt the same throw again. Boone. aiming to downplay the rhetoric. noted that athletes often speak differently in front of cameras. though he admitted he would have preferred a more accurate throw.
The broader offensive malaise remains the central concern. Aside from Ben Rice and Austin Wells—the only consistent performers heading into Game 2—the rest of the roster had combined for only one hit in 46 at-bats. Even with Luis García Jr. struggling at 0-for-7 with two strikeouts in the ALDS following his three-hit performance against Boston. Boone has opted to keep him in the lineup. describing the first baseman as a “ticking time bomb” waiting to erupt.
Boone’s strategy rests on the hope that Volpe can provide the needed energy. Since rejoining the club in early September. Volpe has hit .265 with three doubles. one home run. nine RBIs. and five stolen bases. With only one hit in three postseason at-bats so far. the weight of the moment now rests on his ability to provide the balance the Yankees desperately need to survive the night.
Yankees ALDS Aaron Boone Jazz Chisholm Jr Anthony Volpe Jose Caballero MLB playoffs Rays