New York Yankees fans still skeptical of infield lineup as manager Aaron Boone continues to experiment before Opening Day
Despite being one of the most powerful offensive teams in the MLB, the New York Yankees are still having trouble sorting out their starting nine as the 2023 season looms large.
Questions are concentrated around the infield, where there are more options than spots available. Naturally, this creates some tough decisions for manager Aaron Boone.
Gleyber Torres and Isiah Kiner-Falefa played second base and shortstop, respectively, last season for the New York Yankees. Although they were expected to start again this year, an injury to Torres and successive underwhelming performances from Falefa have caused fans to consider some other options.
Anthony Volpe, a 21-year-old, who was selected first overall by the New York Yankees in 2019, is gaining traction among the fanbase. Boone has been playing the New Jersey native at shortstop and second base this spring, and many fans want to see him in the middle infield on Opening Day.
Additionally, 24-year-old Venezuelan Oswald Peraza appeared in 11 games for the Yankees last September. He too is considered by fans to be a younger, more dynamic alternative to Torres and Kiner-Falefa in the infield.
Updated lineup: twitter.com/yankees/status… https://t.co/BI7QS5gvpo
"Tuesday in Tampa" - New York Yankees
Ahead of the Yankees' March 21 game against the Detroit Tigers, the team published their starting lineup. While some fans are happy to see Gleyber Torres back, many still prefer Volpe at second base. Volpe is set to play shortstop and bat fifth in the lineup.
@Yankees Volpe has to be our shortstop at this point come on
@Yankees If Volpe isn’t starting SS on opening day, we riot.
Gleyber Torres is back in the lineup after an absence. The Venezuelan had a huge 2022 season, garnering the best stats since the 2019 season. Second base is widely expected to belong to Torres this year.
@Yankees GLEYBYYYYY
@Yankees Gley is back 🫶🏻
Isiah Kiner-Falefa came to the Yankees alongside Josh Donaldson from the Minnesota Twins in a trade last year. Falefa hit only .248 with four home runs last season, and fans aren't letting him forget it. Some have even called for the dismissal of GM Brian Cashman.
@Yankees Fire Cashman
@Yankees Torres, Donaldson and Falefa. Please end this misery.🤦🏻
@Yankees man IKF being out of the shortstop competition is so nice
Donaldson, who is batting in the clean-up spot, has also drawn his fair share of criticism. The 2015 AL MVP winner's offensive output has dropped considerably since then. Donaldson hit .222/.308/.374 in the worst season of his career.
@Yankees Donaldson cleanup but at least Volpe is at short again & Gleyber is back https://t.co/MQJWNMwAX8
@Yankees Donaldson shouldn’t be hitting 4th even in the spring
The New York Yankees will need to figure out their lineup soon
The New York Yankees will kick off their 2023 season against the San Francisco Giants on March 30. The team already has a slew of injuries, particularly in their rotation to deal with. The sooner that Boone can settle on his infield, the better, regardless of what the ever-critical fanbase might think.