The glaring Ryan McMahon playoff problem has the Yankees set to once again expand Anthony Volpe’s defensive repertoire.
Volpe, now at second base after transitioning from shortstop, will “probably” play third base in the team’s final five games, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Talkin’ Yanks.
The team is not planning to do so with Jazz Chisholm, although Boone caveated that statement with a “we’ll see” during his usual midweek interview with the podcast.
The Yankees have six days before they likely welcome the Red Sox — or the AL Central runner-up — to The Bronx for a second straight AL wild-card series and they will use this time to figure out roster construction.
Boone said after the Rays clinched the AL East on Tuesday in the nightcap of the doubleheader that he would consider experimenting with players at certain positions.
The glaring roster question centers on third base.
McMahon has become virtually unplayable due to his shaky defense as of late and horrific offense.
The veteran is hitting just .143 in 15 games since returning from the injured list, going 6-for-42 with one extra-base hit and a .217 on-base percentage.
Against a Boston team filled with lefties, McMahon, who owns a .518 OPS against southpaws this year, becomes an easy fade.
The question is where the Yankees would turn and they have Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero as potential options, although there are flaws with both.
Rosario is a bad defender this year and has not hit lefties like usual, with just a .599 OPS, and Caballero can be rather streaky offensively.
Volpe has tallied just a .695 OPS in 11 games since being recalled, which doesn’t scream must-start, but his righty bat could be needed against potential southpaws.
He also has handled second base rather well since shifting to the position earlier this month with rookie George Lombard Jr. handling shortstop.
Boone added that Lombard will remain at shortstop amid these possible changes.
The complicating factor about Volpe’s postseason role is whether the Yankees trust Chisholm — who is slashing .221/.268/.386 versus lefties — against a southpaw in a three-game series.
If Chisholm is starting, the only other starting route would be third base.
Seeing how Volpe can handle third base opens up the possibility of starting at the hot corner — although that would appear a long shot since he would have, at most, five major-league games at the position before the postseason starts — or potentially entering or shifting in the late innings.
Volpe being able to handle the position could allow the Yankees to optimize their roster in a better fashion in the late innings, with one potential example being a game in which Rosario starts.
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