This season we’ve seen a myriad of injuries plague the league. Specifically, the New York Mets outfield was entirely depleted. Other teams have seen stars slumping and can’t seem to turn it around. And then there are the squads that somehow find an answer.
Aaron Boone has tinkered a lot with the Yankees lineup, and somehow it’s working. The Yankees outfield is a central focal point. The dominos started to fall when Aaron Hicks suffered a wrist injury that seemingly will keep him out for the season. So who fills in at the center-field spot for the Yanks was a big problem. Immediately the role goes to veteran Brett Gardner. However, the lefty struggles mightily against southpaws, and this season is only hitting .185 overall.
Now, Gardner needs to be in the lineup due to sheer necessity, but here is where Boone’s creativity came out. Two natural infielders in Tyler Wade and Miguel Andujar were thrust into the outfield rotation this year. While Wade doesn’t have the strongest arm in the outfield, his speed is undeniable and employs an above-average range. The natural shortstop is a lefty bat in the Bombers lineup, recording a hit nearly 25% of the time.
We know Aaron Judge is an everyday start with his potent bat in right field. One question is why Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t been placed over in left. The giant bat is locked into the designated hitter spot. Whether it be his earlier injury in the season or just by choice, he seems pretty set in that position. So with him not in the field, it leaves one corner spot open.
As mentioned earlier, Miguel Andujar has stood in nicely in left this year from time to time. The biggest knock on Andujar is his glove over at third base. He seemed to be a liability at the corners, recording too many errors. However, not having his bat in the lineup is not an option for New York. So for now, as the opportunity provides, he’s found a home in left.
Lastly, Clint Frazier has stepped up the last few weeks. The former top prospect got out to a slow start but started to heat up, including a walk-off home run this week. In the past five games, Frazier has recorded five hits with one homer and four RBIs.
While the situation is far from ideal, Boone has created a survivable scenario. Thinking outside of the box, plugging in Andujar and Wade has worked out so far. Will this plug-and-play mentality continue to work? Time will tell.
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