When the New York Yankees released their lineup for ALDS Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays, one spot wasn’t surprising, even though it maybe should’ve been.
Ryan McMahon was again slotted in at third base and batting ninth.
McMahon continues to get regular playing time for the Yankees despite often being one of the worst hitters in their lineup.
In the regular season, he had a .635 OPS, and his 76 OPS+ says he was 24% worse than league average.
Ironically, McMahon’s official value during the regular season was 0.0 Wins Above Replacement. That means he was exactly as valuable as a replacement level player would’ve been.
In the postseason, McMahon is so far 1-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Yankees have other options, to an extent, but McMahon keeps playing.
Why Do Yankees Keep Playing Ryan McMahon?
On a base level, the Yankees keep playing McMahon because he’s their most true third baseman.
They have at least two other players on the roster who can play third base, not counting starting second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., but neither of them are natural third basemen.
Jose Caballero is a super-utility man who can play pretty much every spot on the diamond. If McMahon were to sit, Caballero would be one option at third.
The other would be Anthony Volpe, a natural shortstop who has learned third base in recent weeks in case the Yankees want to use him there.
If one of Caballero or Volpe was particularly hot at the plate, manager Aaron Boone might be more inclined to take the risk in their glovework at the hot corner to get their bats in the lineup.
At the moment, though, it’s not like any of the options available to Boone are scorching hot.
How Ryan McMahon Adds Value
McMahon’s biggest piece for the Yankees is his glove.
When they traded for him before the 2025 deadline, they hoped his power would come aboard from the Rockies, too, but that’s been quite hit-or-miss.
His fielding is still solid, though, and good defense at third base can make a difference.
This season, McMahon ranked in the 72nd-percentile (well above average) in range, as measured by Outs Above Average, according to Statcast.
His arm strength did decline to just below league average, so McMahon might be falling off just a tad.
The Yankees also gave him the unusual task of just a few innings at shortstop, just in case they needed that in their back pocket — but it does speak to what they think about him as a defender.
McMahon isn’t a star defensive player like he might’ve been viewed earlier in his career, either, but he’s still much more reliable over there than Volpe or Caballero.
That, as well as his ability to run into one for a home run every now and then, is just enough to stay in the Yankees’ lineup.
Why Yankees Keep Playing Ryan McMahon Despite .635 OPS