TAKING SHAPE
Yanks debut potential Opening Day lineup for first time in camp
With Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo making their spring debuts Wednesday, Aaron Boone put out a lineup that might be seen on Opening Day against the Giants.
The Bombers lineup featured Aaron Hicks in left field batting seventh and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop batting ninth, along with the usual LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Rizzo, Stanton as the top four.
Jose Trevino — who has already been declared the No. 1 catcher — was not in the lineup as Kyle Higashioka worked behind the plate against the Nationals. Higashioka could do so again on Opening Day since he was seen as Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher for the majority of last season.
Josh Donaldson played third, batting fifth, and Harrison Bader was in the six hole and in center field.
Carlos Narvaez — a 23-year-old catcher who has been in the system since 2016 — ended Wednesday’s tilt with a two-run homer for a 4-2 Grapefruit League victory.
VETERAN CHECKUP
Boone was admittedly cautious with his injury-prone veterans (Stanton, Rizzo and LeMahieu), getting them off to a somewhat later start.
“There’s a slow play from my standpoint with a number of these guys,” Boone said on Monday. “Because we have a normal spring training again and the on-ramp is bigger.”
Stanton hit two balls on the screws — both registering over 102.7 mph off the bat — however neither found grass as he finished 0-2 in his spring debut.
The 2017 NL MVP said he expects to be playing the outfield within the next week. The 33-yearold played 38 games in the outfield (34 in right field and four in left) in 2022. Arguably, the Yanks’ best offensive configuration features Stanton somewhere in the outfield. However, the club has been a bit gun-shy with that lineup due to Stanton’s injury history. He played 130 or more games in just two of his last five seasons.
LeMahieu went 1-2, roping a single that one-hopped off the left-field wall in the bottom of the third. Rizzo also picked up a hit — which may not have been a hit last season, when the shift was still allowed.
SHORT AND LEFT
Three players competing in position battles this spring appeared in Wednesday’s game: Anthony Volpe and Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and Hicks in left field.
Hicks punched one through the right side in the bottom of the fourth, serving as a reminder that the shift is no longer there to steal hits. If Wednesday’s lineup is any indication, the Bombers may be banking on the fact that the 33-year-old’s production will see a significant upgrade from last season — .642 OPS in 130 games — with the right side open.
In the shortstop competition, Kiner-Falefa went 0-2 and is now 1-6 this spring. Volpe got into the game in the fifth inning and made a series of smooth defensive plays, but went 0-2 at the plate.
In the early going of spring training, nobody — including Oswald Peraza — seems to be the runaway favorite to be the Opening Day shortstop.
GERMAN SHARP
Domingo German began his quest to become the fifth starter after Frankie Montas went down with a shoulder injury on Feb. 21. The 30-year-old pitched 2.1 frames, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three batters.
German’s performance was not exactly on par with Clarke Schmidt’s spring debut, when he struck out five of the six batters he faced on Sunday afternoon. However, the 30-year-old figures to have a small leg up on his competitor early on.
German’s advantage comes from the fact that he has made 70 starts for the Yanks since 2018 while Schmidt has made just five since 2020.
NOT SO WELLS
Yankees No. 4 prospect — according to MLB Pipeline — Austin Wells has a rib fracture and will be out 6-8 weeks. The catcher figured to get plenty of playing time at major-league camp since Higashioka is set to head off to the World Baseball Classic to play for Team USA.
It’s a massive blow for the 23-yearold, who was knocking on the door of making a contribution in the Bronx. Wells slashed .277/.385/.512 with 20 homers and 65 RBI during 92 games in Low-A, High-A and Double-A.