{"id":52783,"date":"2025-05-03T21:01:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T21:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52783"},"modified":"2025-05-03T21:01:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T21:01:14","slug":"yankees-make-drastic-change-at-the-leadoff-spot-with-ice-cold-outfielder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52783","title":{"rendered":"Yankees make drastic change at the leadoff spot with ice-cold outfielder"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Yankees
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The New York Yankees have unveiled their lineup for game two of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, and there\u2019s a notable twist at the top.<\/p>\n

With Trent Grisham getting the day off, manager Aaron Boone had to reshuffle the order\u2014and in a move that raised some eyebrows, Cody Bellinger is getting the call to lead things off.<\/p>\n

Boone Rolls the Dice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If Grisham\u2019s been the Yankees\u2019 spark plug at the top of the lineup, Bellinger has been more like a stubborn lawnmower on a cold morning: sometimes it revs to life, other times it sputters and stalls.<\/p>\n

\"Yankees
Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet Boone seems to believe that a little nostalgia might light a fire under the 2019 NL MVP.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody\u2019s got to go there,\u201d Boone told reporters, channeling a sort of baseball inevitability. \u201cHe\u2019s done it in the past.\u201d That \u201cpast\u201d is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, as Bellinger\u2019s recent numbers paint a less flattering picture.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
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“Somebody’s got to go there. Kind of like Rice in there behind Judge right now. He’s done it in the past and hopefully, he can set a tone for us today there.”<\/p>\n

Aaron Boone talks about putting Cody Bellinger in the leadoff spot with Trent Grisham having the day off today: pic.twitter.com\/Cx901NipLF<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 3, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A Cold Bat in a Hot Seat<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since joining the Yankees, Bellinger has slashed a cold .196\/.271\/.343 with a .614 OPS\u2014numbers that whisper \u201cslump\u201d more than \u201cspark.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s shown flashes of the MVP version of himself, sure, but so far those glimpses have been more mirage than momentum.<\/p>\n

\"Yankees
Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Giving him the leadoff role feels like asking a guy who\u2019s been struggling to paddle suddenly steer the canoe. The leadoff hitter often sets the tone, sees the most pitches, and gets the most at-bats\u2014critical jobs for someone whose bat hasn\u2019t been singing lately.<\/p>\n

A Glimmer or a Gamble?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Still, baseball\u2019s a weird game. Maybe this move snaps Bellinger out of his funk. Stranger things have happened. Sometimes a new spot in the lineup is like rearranging furniture\u2014you don\u2019t know it\u2019ll work until you move the couch.<\/p>\n

The Yankees are hoping today\u2019s lineup change adds some rhythm to their offense. Whether it\u2019s a masterstroke or a head-scratcher, all eyes will be on Bellinger\u2019s first trip to the plate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone defended his choice of putting a struggling star at the top of the lineup on Trent Grisham’s day off<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":52784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nYankees make drastic change at the leadoff spot with ice-cold outfielder - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52783\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees make drastic change at the leadoff spot with ice-cold outfielder - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone defended his choice of putting a struggling star at the top of the lineup on Trent Grisham's day off\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52783\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-03T21:01:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-9.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52783\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52783\",\"name\":\"Yankees make drastic change at the leadoff spot with ice-cold outfielder - 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