On Wednesday, the New York Yankees will face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the ALDS.
This is a must-win for the Yankees, as they are down 2-0 in the series. With this, their postseason run will officially be over if they lose.
The Yankees suffered a tough 5-2 loss to the Rays in Game 2. Now, the Yankees are understandably making some changes to their lineup for Game 3. This includes with star slugger Cody Bellinger.
New York Yankees Dropping Cody Bellinger in Batting Order
After batting second in New York’s most recent game, Bellinger will be their fourth batter in Game 3.
With Bellinger batting fourth for the Yankees, Ben Rice will now be their second hitter.
Here is New York’s full batting order, as announced by the team:
Trent Grisham CF
Ben Rice DH
Luis Garcia Jr. 1B
Cody Bellinger LF
George Lombard Jr. SS
Austin Wells C
Anthony Volpe 2B
Spencer Jones RF
Jose Caballero 3B
Yankees Need Big Game From Bellinger
Bellinger has had a quiet start to the Yankees’ series against the Rays. He has gone 1-for-8 in two games against Tampa Bay so far and has struck out twice. With this, the 10-year MLB veteran has been cold lately.
Yet, with Bellinger being one of the Yankees’ top stars, he certainly has the potential to heat back up. With New York’s season being on the line, they need a big performance from him in Game 3.
It will be intriguing to see if Bellinger can step up big for New York after dropping their batting order from here.
New York Yankees Reveal Massive Cody Bellinger Decision Before Game 3