Jazz is back, as is the heavy left-handed Yankees lineup.
After sitting out Anthony Volpe against Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle in Tuesday’s Game 1 win, Jazz Chisholm Jr. returned to the lineup for Game 2 Wednesday against right-hander Sonny Gray as the Yankees looked to sweep the AL wild-card series.
Trent Grisham also entered the starting lineup in center field, batting seventh and pushing Spencer Jones to right field after the rookie manned center almost every game during Grisham’s three-week stint on the IL with a hamstring strain.
And Ryan McMahon, who entered Game 1 in the fifth inning as a defensive replacement for right-hander Amed Rosario, gets the start at third base against Gray.
Rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. is the only right-handed hitter on the entire roster, with the Yankees stacking the game with lefties against Gray and a right-handed heavy bench awaiting lefties in the Red Sox bullpen.
Informing him that he would not be in the lineup for the first game, Aaron Boone said he texted Chisholm to tell him to be ready because “you could be the most important person in the building tonight.”
Ultimately, that opportunity never came as the Yankees ran away with a 9-0 victory, which Chisholm watched from the dugout.
But the second baseman will have the opportunity to make his mark Wednesday against Gray, attempting to send the Yankees into the ALDS against the Rays with an extra day off.
Gn sports
