Joe Girardi was all action on Tuesday night when he finally separated Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner in the starting lineup, leaving Gardner in the lead-off spot and moving Ellsbury fifth.
But Girardi took it a step further and moved catcher Gary Sanchez into the two-hole. The lineup Girardi trotted out on Tuesday night will likely be the one Girardi uses on Opening Day.
Brett Gardner LF
Gary Sanchez C
Greg Bird 1B
Matt Holliday DH
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Starlin Castro 2B
Chase Headley 3B
Aaron Hicks RF
Ronald Torreyes SS
Sanchez in the two-hole worked for the most part on Tuesday, after Gardner, Sanchez and Bird all reached base on walks and Ellsbury later drove Gardner home in the first.
Sanchez in the two-hole was something Girardi toyed around with when both Ellsbury and Gardner didn’t play in exhibition games, and it looks to be a permanent fixture for the beginning of the season.
“It makes it harder to navigate through our lineup,” Girardi said after the Yankees fell 6-3 to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. “We feel like it’s a better situation for all of us. This could very well be similar to our Opening Day lineup.”
While Sanchez at the top of the order seems to be a given, Girardi said he hadn’t decided the winner of the right field competition between Hicks and Aaron Judge. It’s also likely Torreyes begins the season at shortstop with Didi Gregorius heading towards the DL with a shoulder strain.
The Yankees also eliminated Adam Warren from the starting rotation competition and have slotted him in the bullpen.
Girardi has yet to announce who will win the final two spots in the rotation.