The New York Yankees are set to take on the Boston Red Sox Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series matchup at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
For the Yankees, right-handed ace and AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler will be on the mound, while the Red Sox will send out lefty Payton Tolle.
Ahead of the contest, Yankees manager Aaron Boone officially released his first postseason lineup card, and it featured some interesting decisions across the board.
Yankees Announce Luis Garcia Jr. Move
While many knew it was going to be a tall task to get the perfect starting lineup to please everybody, Tuesday night seemed like a fairly easy decision for Boone, as he prioritized right-handed hitters against the lefty pitcher.
With that, All-Star slugger Luis Garcia Jr. is not in the starting lineup for the series opener. Veteran Paul Goldschmidt will play first base in his place.
Here’s the full Yankees lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Yankees 9/29 P. Goldschmidt 1B B. Rice DH H. Ramos RF C. Bellinger LF G. Lombard Jr. SS A. Rosario 3B A. Volpe 2B S. Jones CF A. Wells C C. Schlittler SP.”
Yankees 9/29
P. Goldschmidt 1B
B. Rice DH
H. Ramos RF
C. Bellinger LF
G. Lombard Jr. SS
A. Rosario 3B
A. Volpe 2B
S. Jones CF
A. Wells CC. Schlittler SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 29, 2026
Garcia Jr.’s 2026 Season
It’s been a career year for Garcia Jr., who was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Yankees prior to the MLB trade deadline.
He’s hitting .277 across 516 at-bats and has recorded 143 hits, 30 home runs and 92 RBIs, while slugging .521 with a .831 OPS.
Against lefties, however, Garcia Jr. has appeared in 55 games and is hitting .235 with just two home runs and 10 RBIs across 81 at-bats, along with a .600 OPS. That helps explain why Boone decided to use him off the bench in Game 1.
New York Yankees Make Luis Garcia Jr. Move Before Wild Card Series vs. Red Sox