What would be your go-to Yankees lineup right now?

The wear and tear of a baseball season can sure change things in a hurry, even in May. Remember when the Yankees miraculously made it through spring training with essentially the entire expected Opening Day roster intact? Since then, they’ve lost Aaron Judge, Max Fried, Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells, and Jasson Domínguez*. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón have made successful injury recoveries, José Caballero had a short IL stint, and Trent Grisham survived a bit of a scare last month. But the Yanks are still waiting to become whole again.

*If you want to be pedantic and say that Jasson was not on the Opening Day roster, then just tag in Luis Gil, who was in the Opening Day rotation before getting demoted and quickly shelved with right shoulder inflammation.

I’m putting the spotlight on the lineup today. This is a fairly similar exercise I did in May when it seemed like Grisham might need an IL stint, but it’s worth bringing back — especially with Judge on the shelf. Who would be in your standard Yankees lineup? The players at their disposal do generally offer some flexibility with varying degrees of potential as well, but everyone likely has their own preferences.

Here’s how I would line them up:

CF Trent Grisham
DH Ben Rice
LF Cody Bellinger
1B Paul Goldschmidt
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
SS José Caballero
RF Spencer Jones
3B Ryan McMahon
C J.C. Escarra

With lefties on the bump, I would tag in Amed Rosario at third and perhaps Max Schuemann for Jones in right in some scenarios since the rookie struggled with southpaws even in the minors. Rice and Goldschmidt can alternate between first and DH to stay fresh in the field.

I have no interest in seeing Volpe at this point; to say nothing of the bat, Caballero is the superior defensive shortstop and deserves run there. As soon as Domínguez finishes his rehab appearance, I would option Volpe again to at least let him expand his versatility in Triple-A because he offers very little right now. He had a .912 OPS in his first six games back with New York and now is right back to the same-ol’, same-ol’ with a .484 OPS in the 12 games since then. Nothing has changed! Next. (What I actually expect the Yankees to do is demote Jones once Jasson is ready and refuse to make a call on Volpe until a Stanton return forces their hand.)

I know Ali Sánchez was brought up to be a backup catcher who could also swing from the right side rather than the lefties Wells and Escarra, but I still would really only play Sánchez right now in day game-after-night game situations. Escarra is definitely taking his lumps at bat, but Sánchez is a rough hitter who offers very little hope and I’d generally roll the dice on Escarra maybe finding a rhythm with Wells out. It’s fair to look at what Escarra’s done this year and be skeptical, but Sánchez has a 22 wRC+ for his career. Escarra at least had a few hot stretches in 2025, which ended with a 79 wRC+. The options aren’t enticing, but this is the best one for now.

What’s your go-to alignment?

Today on the site, Peter will break down Cody Bellinger’s game-winning single from Monday for his Yankees At-Bat of the Week feature and he’ll return to run through the Rivalry Roundup. Kento will discuss how Ben Rice got his groove back, and in lieu of any particularly interesting former Yankees today, we turn the birthday spotlight on a former Yankees division rival-turned-MSG/YES announcer. (Spoilers: LOOK OUT!)

Then it will be matinée time!

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians

Time: 1:10 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Guardians.tv

Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH