Gary Sanchez Likely To Bat 2nd In Yankees Lineup
TAMPA, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — The New York Yankees will likely bat power-hitting catcher Gary Sanchez second in their lineup at the start of the season.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday that he was leaning toward having Brett Gardner bat leadoff, followed by Sanchez, Greg Bird, Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Girardi said he had been thinking about breaking up the left-handed hitting Gardner and Ellsbury.
"It makes it harder to navigate through our lineup," Girardi said. "We feel like it's a better situation for all of us. This could very well be similar to our opening day lineup."
Ellsbury, who hit .263 with nine homers in 2016, finds himself lower in the order after batting first or second over the past two seasons.
Girardi insisted it's not a demotion of any sort.
"Hitting fifth is a pretty big responsibility," the manager told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Tuesday. "People might say, 'Well, you moved him down in the lineup.' I don't know, fifth is pretty important. So when you look at that, he's got a big responsibility, and we're trusting him with a lot, and we need a really good year from him."
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"I'm expecting him to be productive. Hitting fifth is a pretty big responsibility. People might say, 'Well, you moved him down in the lineup.' I don't know, fifth is pretty important. So when you look at that, he's got a big responsibility and we're trusting him with a lot, and we need a really good year from him."
Sanchez hit 20 homers in 53 games last season after being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in early August. Bird has shown a power swing during spring training after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury.
Girardi said it's likely that Ronald Torreyes will start at short in place of Didi Gregorius, who will begin the season on the disabled list with a shoulder strain.
Adam Warren, who was in the mix for the fifth starter spot, will work out of the bullpen.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
