The New York Yankees took two of three games from the Chicago Cubs over the weekend and will remain in the NL Central beginning Monday night with a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Before the series opener, however, manager Aaron Boone had to make a lineup decision after the team welcomed slugger Luis Garcia Jr. following Sunday’s trade with the Washington Nationals.
Yankees Announce Garcia Jr. Decision
Garcia Jr. held his introductory press conference Monday afternoon and will make his Yankees debut in the series opener, as many fans expected.
Boone penciled Garcia Jr. in at first base, where he will bat third behind Trent Grisham and Ben Rice, who will serve as the designated hitter.
Yankees 8/3
T. Grisham CF
B. Rice DH
L. García Jr. 1B
S. Jones LF
J. Domínguez RF
J. Chisholm Jr. 2B
R. McMahon 3B
J. Caballero SS
A. Wells CC. Schlittler SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 3, 2026
Garcia Jr.’s 2026 Season
Now in his seventh MLB season, Garcia Jr. is putting together the best campaign of his career. He currently leads the league with a .560 slugging percentage.
Across 104 games and 357 at-bats, García Jr. is batting .283 with 101 hits, 48 runs, 23 home runs, and 76 RBIs while posting an .873 OPS.
Yankees Right Now
The Yankees enter Monday night with a 63-49 record and ace Cam Schlittler set to take the mound.
New York sits in second place in the AL East, 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. If the season ended today, the Yankees would claim the top Wild Card spot in the American League and host the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series in the Bronx.
New York Yankees Announce Luis Garcia Jr. Decision Before Cardinals Series