To avoid being swept, the New York Yankees made a major change to their starting lineup.
After struggling to provide adequate production as a leadoff hitter, second-year shortstop Anthony Volpe was moved lower in the starting lineup for Thursday afternoon’s game.
In his place atop the lineup is rookie Ben Rice, who has shown plenty of promise since being called up from Triple-A in June.
Here’s a look at the Yankees’ starting lineup Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds:
- Ben Rice, 1B
- Juan Soto, RF
- Aaron Judge, DH
- Alex Verdugo, LF
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- Austin Wells, C
- Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B
- Trent Grisham, CF
Volpe was promoted to leadoff hitter on April 10, but things haven’t gone the way the Yankees hoped. He has a .650 OPS, a 5.9% walk rate and a .293 OBP. Those numbers won’t be enough to get him to hit ahead of Soto and Judge.
Rice has been a promising hitter in a small sample size. The rookie first baseman is hitting .270 with a .378 OBP. His 15.6 percent walk rate should also allow him to produce more as a leadoff hitter.
Marcus Stroman will be on the mound to give the Yankees a chance to avoid being swept. They have lost five of their last six series, proving that the rough stretch since mid-June continues to drag on.
