BOSTON — The Yankees are on a six-game winning streak. They are 16-9. They lead the American League East. Things are going well.
So why does Aaron Boone’s lineup card keep making fans nervous?
Every day brings a new set of Yankees decisions that has someone asking the same question. Why is that player sitting? Why is this one starting? Why is the hottest bat on the bench?
Boone has an answer ready. It is the same answer every time.
He wants to keep everyone going and the Yankees face a real risk.
The strategy Boone is selling and what it actually costs
Before Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Boone explained how he thinks about his roster. The Yankees have too many good players for everyone to start every day. His solution is to rotate them in and out, keeping everyone sharp and involved.
Asked about the daily lineup criticism he faces on social media, Boone was relaxed about it.
“Want to keep everyone going,” the Yankees manager. “There’s roles for everyone to have that certain guys have real strengths against certain players and want to take advantage of those, too. We have a really good team and a lot of really good players in there that deserve to play even on some days they’re not in there. And that doesn’t mean they’re not the most central figure in that day [off the bench].”
That sounds reasonable in theory. In practice, the results have been uneven. And Thursday nearly proved how badly it can go wrong for the Yankees.
The Bellinger benching that exposed it
Thursday was the sharpest example of the risk Boone is taking with his rotation strategy.
He gave Cody Bellinger a rest day for the series finale. Bellinger signed a five-year, $162.5 million contract in January. He is one of the Yankees’ most dangerous bats in 2026. Sitting him at Fenway with a sweep on the line raised immediate objections from fans.
Then the game started going sideways. Jose Caballero made a throwing error in the second inning. The Red Sox scored a run they never earned. Carlos Narvaez added a solo homer in the fifth. Boston led 2-1 and was getting better pitching from rookie Payton Tolle than anyone expected.
The Yankees had a $162.5 million player sitting on the bench while they fell behind. Social media was not kind to Boone.
Then came the seventh inning. Bases loaded. Yankees trailing. And Boone finally called on Bellinger to pinch hit. He delivered a two-run single off Greg Weissert. The Yankees led 3-2. Aaron Judge followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2. They won. They swept.
The strategy worked. But only because Bellinger bailed it out. Had he not come through, the conversation would have been very different.
Rice vs. Goldschmidt at first base is a daily puzzle
The Bellinger situation is not an isolated case. The Yankees’ first base situation has become its own daily drama.
Ben Rice has been one of the Yankees’ best hitters in 2026. He is batting .319 with eight home runs and 18 RBI. He hits lefties. He hits righties. He is producing every time he gets into the lineup.
Wednesday’s game against left-hander Ranger Suarez is a good example of how Boone handles the situation. He started Paul Goldschmidt at first base instead of Rice. His reasoning was that Goldschmidt, a 16-year veteran and former MVP, has strong history against pitchers with extreme splits.
Goldschmidt went 0-for-4.
Rice came off the Yankees bench in the sixth inning to pinch hit for Amed Rosario. He struck out. He is 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter this season, with a home run, a sacrifice fly, and a walk in those appearances.
Boone explained his thinking on why Goldschmidt keeps getting spots even as Rice has outperformed him. When asked about the balancing act, theYankees skipper was direct about the challenge.
“Benny’s earned more and more opportunities, and I think he’s done a great job against left-handed pitching,” Boone said. “And obviously what he’s become and the presence he is. It has been more challenging [to find Goldschmidt time].”
Grisham sits and a $22 million question goes unasked
Rice is the loudest example, but not the only one. Trent Grisham sat for a second straight game Wednesday. Grisham is the Yankees’ usual leadoff hitter and is earning $22 million this season. He has been hitting better after a slow start.
Boone replaced him in the outfield with Randal Grichuk, who hit sixth and played left. Bellinger shifted to center. The Yankees moves were made to match up against the left-handed Suarez. Grisham, also a left-handed bat, was the odd man out.
Boone also floated using Rice as a catcher to squeeze both bats into the same lefty-game lineup. Austin Wells would sit. He said it was not imminent.
“At some point, it’s possible,” the Yankees manager said. “Nothing that I have scheduled out.”
The winning streak masks a real tension
The Yankees are winning. So the criticism stays at a simmer. But Thursday showed both sides in the same game. Sitting Bellinger made fans angry. Calling him in to win the game made Boone look smart.
Had Bellinger not delivered, the winning streak would have ended and the debate would have been loud. The Yankees are good enough to survive these calls right now. Whether that holds in October is still to be seen.
What do you think? Is Boone’s “everyone going” smart gamble… or dangerous overreach?
