In the offseason, the Yankees have actually made some lineup changes.
But they may not be what fans want or expect.
Aaron Boone singled off Jazz Chisholm as the cleanup hitter in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night, moving Giancarlo Stanton, the team’s hottest hitter, to fifth.
Austin Wells was reinstated as the starting catcher, hitting eighth in the lineup.
Aaron Judge, whose struggles have been well-publicized all postseason, is still solidly at third.
The Dodgers, up 3-0 in the series, throw a “Johnny Holstaff” game against the Yankees, using righty reliever Ben Kasparius as their starter.
“They’re really trying to be a little more balanced when they do a bullpen day,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the lineup moves. “It’s very consistent with what I’ve done all year, and it’s kind of a rollout, like say we’re facing a right-handed pitcher.”
Ultimately, Boone said, it was trying to expose matchups against the Dodgers.
Boone said he considered moving Judge to the leadoff spot, but was hesitant to do so because Kleiber Torres is thriving in the lineup.