The New York Yankees are swapping infielder Ryan McMahon out of the lineup just hours after one of the biggest outs of his season.
McMahon delivered the walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning of the team’s win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday, capping off a late-game comeback over the NL East-leading team. But the Yankees didn’t find room in the starting lineup for McMahon on Saturday, instead announcing that veteran Amed Rosario would be playing third base.
Ryan McMahon’s Heroics on Friday
McMahon is coming off a big performance against the Braves as he helped spark a two-run rally to tie the game at 2-2 in the ninth inning. He went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI, and long fly ball to right field won the game in the 10th inning.
The Yankees had only one win in nine extra-inning games going into Friday, and McMahon said he was happy to see his team pull through.
“It was a hard-fought game, man,” McMahon said, via MLB.com. “It’s good to come out on top. We’ve got to figure that out; we’ve got to get going a little bit more. It’s not from a lack of work or effort, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get going.”
Yankees Have Switched Between Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario
Though McMahon went no more than two games out of the starting lineup for much of the season, the Yankees benched him for an entire July series against the Philadelphia Phillies, swapping him out for Rosario in the starting lineup and re-inserting him late as a defensive substitute.
As CBS Sports noted, that decision appeared to be matchup-based rathern than a reflection of McMahon’s play.
“McMahon is out of the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Phillies,” the report noted. “The left-handed-hitting McMahon will take a seat for a third day in a row to close out the series while the Phillies send another lefty starter (Cristopher Sanchez) to the bump. Amed Rosario will fill in for McMahon at third base and will bat third.”
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