The New York Yankees lost Game 1 of their Wild Card series matchup against the Boston Red Sox, as they were without some key players. With Game 2 on the horizon, a pair of those players will be returning to the mound, according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo.
“Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Ryan McMahon are in the Yankees’ lineup against the righty Brayan Bello,” Castillo wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Yankees decided not to start Chisholm in Game 1, despite how strong a season he had for the team. He had a career-high 31 home runs, while also recording 31 stolen bases, and he became the third player in franchise history to join the 30-30-30 club.
The Yankees went with Amed Rosario instead in Game 1, but now, it looks like they'll see what Chisholm can do for them as they try to tie up the series. When he was asked if he was surprised that he wasn't starting in the previous game, Chisholm turned his back to the media and said, “I mean, I guess, yeah.”
He was then asked if he and Aaron Boone had a conversation about the decision.
“It’s a little conversation, not much,” Chisholm said. “But yeah. You just move forward after it.”
As for Rice, he decided to put Austin Wells behind the plate over him. Boone noted that it wasn't a close call against the two, but he still believed that Rice would still make an impact, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.
“Just because Rice isn't in there doesn't mean he doesn't impact the game in a big way. Like that's a big thing with a lot of these matchups, it's like sometimes you're putting them in a better spot to impact the game. Sometimes when they're coming off the bench in a situation, whatever it may be,” Boone said via Phillips.
It looks like Rice will now be able to make an impact for the Yankees in a crucial game.
