NEW YORK — Aaron Boone did not need a spreadsheet to make this call.
With Ryan McMahon scuffling at the plate and Athletics right-hander Aaron Civale getting the start Tuesday night, Boone went with a simple gut read. He wrote Amed Rosario into the lineup at third base, giving the veteran utility man just his second start of the 2026 season.
Asked about the decision before the game, Boone did not dress it up.
“He’s just a good hitter,” the Yankees manager said.
That quiet confidence turned out to be one of the best calls Boone has made all season. Rosario went out and smashed two home runs, drove in five and sparked a comeback that lifted the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Athletics at Yankee Stadium.
New York improved to 8-2 on the season and has now won the first game of every series in 2026.
A rare start, a quick statement
Rosario was back in the lineup because the matchup made sense. McMahon, the Yankees’ primary third baseman, has been in a prolonged slump. Civale throws from the right side. Amed Rosario, a right-handed hitter, was the natural fit.
He wasted no time making Boone look smart. In the second inning, Rosario drove a Civale pitch over the left-field wall for a solo homer, putting New York on the board first. It was a clean, confident swing from a player who does not get many chances to show what he can do.
The Athletics clawed back in the third inning and eventually took a 3-1 lead. The Yankees went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position over the next several frames. The game looked like it might slip away.
Rosario was not done.
The swing that flipped the game
The Yankees loaded the bases in the eighth inning against ex-Yankee Mark Leiter Jr. Cody Bellinger singled. Ben Rice singled. Giancarlo Stanton singled home a run to cut the deficit to 3-2. The crowd at a frigid Yankee Stadium, where wind chill temperatures sat near 25 degrees, stirred.
Then Rosario stepped in. On an 0-and-1 count, he got a splitter from Leiter and turned on it. The ball left his bat at 107.3 mph and traveled 414 feet down the left-field line. Three-run homer. Yankees led 5-3.
Rosario did not play it cool. He stood and watched the ball land, then pounded his chest and fired gestures at his teammates in the dugout. The bench erupted. The fans erupted. Even Boone, who had trusted his instincts on this one, let himself enjoy the moment.
The blast was Rosario’s third career multi-homer game, joining outings on Aug. 31, 2021 with Cleveland and May 20, 2018.
Rosario the cheerleader, now the one being cheered
Those who follow the Yankees closely know Rosario as one of the most enthusiastic players on the bench. He roots loudly for his teammates, celebrates their hits, and brings energy even when he is not in the lineup. Tuesday, his teammates returned the favor.
The reaction from the dugout after his go-ahead homer was as loud as the crowd. That is the kind of moment that underscores what Rosario means to this team beyond his stats. He is a player who makes everyone around him better, and occasionally, he makes himself the story.
Boone stays measured on future at-bats
After the game, Boone was asked whether Rosario’s two-homer performance might push him into more starts against right-handed pitching. The Yankees manager was careful not to overreact.
“Not necessarily,” Boone said. “There’s certain matchups I like [him] in. We’ve got a number of lefties coming up. [But] competition’s always a good thing.”
Rosario was brought back this offseason because of his history against left-handed pitchers. That role has not changed. But what Tuesday did was remind everyone that his value is not so narrow. He is a professional hitter who can damage a pitcher on any given night, regardless of which arm is doing the throwing.
Boone had said before the game that he wanted to get Rosario more at-bats, with the Yankees set to face a stretch of left-handed pitching ahead. Tuesday provided a bonus. And in a season where the Yankees are already clicking at a .800 pace through 10 games, a warm bat off the bench is a luxury worth having.
Amed Rosario came into Tuesday as a footnote in the lineup. He left it as the author of one of the Yankees’ best wins of the young 2026 season.
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