BALTIMORE — 5 infielders for 4 positions.
That was a subject of conversation normally throughout spring training, primarily just after the acquisitions of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson from Minnesota.
If anyone stayed healthy — which was a major ‘if’ at the time, and that remains the case — how would the Yankees and Aaron Boone determine out how to maintain everybody in the lineup frequently plenty of to continue to be sharp and successful?
He insisted it would get the job done by itself out and so considerably, it has.
Heading into Monday’s game towards the Orioles at Camden Yards, the division of labor in the Yankees infield has worked just about how they had hoped.
By means of 34 video games, the figures back it up.
Anthony Rizzo, not incredibly, has appeared in 33 video games with 141 plate appearances and an OPS of .849.
Up coming up is the player assumed most likely to be without a posture, DJ LeMahieu.
As anticipated, he’s balanced and doing specifically what the Yankees hoped he’d do when they at first signed him as a no cost agent.
LeMahieu has performed 32 game titles, break up amid 2nd, third and initially. And in his 132 plate appearances, he has a .758 OPS.
Donaldson will come up up coming, with 31 video games and 129 plate appearances. And a the latest extend of achievements at the plate has bumped his OPS to .741.
Kiner-Falefa, even with some recent struggles, has been mostly reliable at shortstop — where by he took in excess of for Gleyber Torres — and has a .658 OPS more than 112 plate appearances in 31 online games.
At last, there is Torres, at situations the odd man out, considering that the Yankees have shied away from working with him as a backup shortstop and his bat hasn’t been steady more than enough to drive his way into the lineup every day.
However, he’s right there with the rest of them, obtaining played 31 game titles and experienced 109 plate appearances with a .699 OPS coming into Monday.
The vital has been, as general supervisor Brian Cashman hoped when he remade the roster right after the lockout, to have much more adaptability.
And that does not just include things like the infield.
Giancarlo Stanton’s means to play the outfield, as properly as Aaron Judge’s willingness to move to center industry on situation, has permitted the Yankees to diversify their use of the DH — which has been in particular valuable to Donaldson, who has begun 10 game titles at the spot, as properly as 19 at third foundation.
The Yankees opted to bring Donaldson along gradually, in particular on defense, in an effort to retain him healthful.
Other than some gentle shoulder soreness, the program has been thriving.
Donaldson had his finest video game in the discipline as a Yankee on Sunday, when he built a period-large 7 helps, like a diving enjoy to his proper to rob Josh Harrison of a hit.
The team’s protection over-all has enhanced from very last 12 months due to the fact, as LeMahieu set it past week, “it felt like men had been out of spot at times” in 2021.
They tried to take care of that by investing for Kiner-Falefa and Donaldson, which allowed Torres to go back again to second and LeMahieu to roam amongst his a few infield positions.
Torres has been an over-typical 2nd baseman this year, according to Fangraphs’ defensive runs saved — as very well as the eye examination. And whilst Kiner-Falefa has been shaky in the discipline the past week, he’s however been average general at short, a little something Torres was not.
As lengthy as they preserve profitable, the crowded infield must keep on to perform alone out.
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