Aaron Boone Is Considering Changes for Game 3. Here’s How the Yankees Should Line Up.

The Yankees’ offense got off to a great start to the postseason, running up 18 runs in two games against the Red Sox in the wild-card round. That performance had fans feeling confident heading into the ALDS against the American League’s best team in the Rays. Unfortunately, those same results did not follow the team to Tropicana Field.

Through two games of the ALDS, the Yankees have just five hits and two runs––both via solo home runs from Ben Rice. Rather than shake things up after the lineup went quiet in Game 1, Aaron Boone opted to run it back with the exact same lineup for Game 2, hoping that with a different pitcher on the mound, the Yankees could generate some offense. That didn’t go to plan, however, and now the team finds itself on the brink of elimination.

To put into perspective just how poor the Yankees’ offense has been through two games of this series, the group is batting a collective .086 against the Rays. No team in American League postseason history has ever recorded a worse batting average through any two-game span. Prior to Game 1, throughout 447 postseason games in franchise history, the team had never been held under two hits in a single game. That streak was snapped on Saturday, and not much improved on Monday night in Game 2.

Ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday night, Boone told reporters that he’s considering making changes to the lineup as the team attempts to find a spark at the plate against a Rays pitching staff that’s held New York’s bats at bay.

With some tweaks likely coming, here’s the lineup Boone should deploy against Nick Martinez in Game 3.

1. Ben Rice, 1B
2. Luis Garcia Jr., 2B
3. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
4. Cody Bellinger, LF
5. Trent Grisham, CF
6. Spencer Jones, RF
7. Austin Wells, C
8. Jose Caballero, 3B
9. Anthony Volpe, SS

I’ll preface this by saying that this is a lineup that will prioritize offense. The Yankees are a bad defensive team, as they painstakingly displayed in Game 2, and that won’t change overnight. So, they should play to their strengths and look to beat the Rays by getting runs on the board. The offense was significantly better at home than on the road this season, so loading up on bats that can inflict damage could be the best path to success for New York.

Rice’s inclusion is a no-brainer. His two solo home runs in Game 2 represent the only runs that have come across the plate for the Yankees this series. Rice has nine at-bats against Martinez in his career and owns a 1.323 OPS with four hits, including three doubles, against the veteran right-hander. By shifting Rice over to first base, the Yankees could open up the DH spot for Giancarlo Stanton, who has made just one at-bat during the postseason. Stanton has dealt with injuries this season and played in just 24 games, but he’s on the roster for a reason, and that’s to generate some extra offense. With the Yankees’ lineup having been lifeless, it would make sense to give Stanton an opportunity in Game 3.

Luis Garcia Jr. could move over to second base, where he made 129 appearances last season. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has struggled both at the plate and in the field during the series, so he’ll head to the bench for Game 3, though he could be utilized as a pinch hitter or pinch runner later in the game.

Trent Grisham has been excellent against Martinez in his career, going 4-for-6 with three doubles and two walks against the Rays starter. It’s a small sample, and Grisham has been rather lackluster offensively during the postseason, but this could present the perfect opportunity for him to get back on track.

Both Ryan McMahon and George Lombard Jr. should also head to the bench for Game 3. McMahon’s inclusion in the lineup was largely meant as a means to shore up New York’s defense, but he made a bad error on the first play of Monday’s game, and provides very little offensively for the Yankees. Despite being a left-handed hitter, he had just a .662 OPS against righties this season, and in 22 at-bats against Martinez he’s recorded just five hits and nine strikeouts. Jose Caballero, who’s fared a bit better against Martinez and provides more speed on the base paths than McMahon, should get a chance at the hot corner in Game 3, where he’s made 37 appearances this season. Anthony Volpe should also get a shot at shortstop after a disappointing defensive showing from Lombard on Monday night.

That would leave a bench of Paul Goldschmidt, Chisholm, McMahon, Volpe, Ali Sanchez and Heliot Ramos, which would give the Yankees opportunities to make late substitutions and enable them to play matchups with Ramos and Goldschmidt when Martinez exits.

It’s do or die for the Yankees in Game 3, and Boone should be ready and willing to try a new approach offensively after two disappointing showings in the first two games of the series.

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