NEW YORK — The ball took one hop toward Ryan McMahon and skipped away.
It was the first play the New York Yankees made in the field in Game 2 of the American League Division Series. By the end of that inning at Tropicana Field on Monday night, they had committed three errors. It was the first time in the franchise’s 61 postseason appearances that the Yankees made three errors in one inning.
The Tampa Bay Rays won 5-2 and took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Cam Schlittler, the presumptive AL Cy Young Award winner, was knocked out during a four-run fifth inning. Ben Rice hit two solo homers for the only Yankees offense.
The collapse did more than push the Yankees to the brink. It also sharpened a roster question that will follow the club into the winter, whenever that winter begins.
Both infielders at the center of Monday’s first-inning mess may already be headed out of the Bronx.
A first inning that exposed two problems
Yandy Díaz led off with a topspin bouncer that McMahon could not field cleanly. Two batters later, Junior Caminero hit a slow roller. Jazz Chisholm Jr. tried for a quick double play and threw past first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. Díaz scored.
A catcher’s interference call on Austin Wells added the third error of the inning.
McMahon’s miscue fit a troubling year. The 31-year-old hit .213/.279/.357 with a 78 wRC+ in 360 plate appearances, his weakest offense since 2020. He is 1-for-7 this postseason.
His glove, the reason the Yankees acquired him from Colorado at the 2025 deadline, also slipped. He was worth 7 Defensive Runs Saved at third base for New York in 2025, according to FanGraphs. This season, that number fell to minus-3.
McMahon is still owed $16 million in 2027, the final year of the six-year, $70 million deal he signed with the Rockies.
Chisholm faces a different clock. The two-time All-Star becomes a free agent after the season. Since the start of 2021, he has made 39 errors at second base, tied for fourth most in the majors at the position.
Boone opens a door at second base
Before Game 2, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about Garcia’s defensive future. The 26-year-old New York native has been the Yankees’ everyday first baseman since arriving from Washington in an Aug. 2 trade. He spent most of his career at second base with the Nationals.
Boone’s answer pointed toward a new infield alignment for 2027.
“Obviously an infielder in his past,” Boone said according to Brendan Kuty. “And feel like that could even be in play, you know, moving forward in coming years.”
The comment matters because of what the move would require. Garcia at second base leaves no everyday job for Chisholm. It also opens third base for Anthony Volpe, who lost the shortstop job to rookie George Lombard Jr. in August.
That shift would push McMahon to the bench, or off the roster entirely.
Boone has already weighed Volpe at third. He said he considered starting him there in Game 2 but did not want Volpe’s first start at the position on the Tropicana Field turf to come in a playoff game.
The defensive math behind the gamble
The plan carries real risk, and the numbers show why.
Garcia logged more than 4,000 innings at second base for Washington. He finished at minus-29 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-18 Outs Above Average and minus-15 Fielding Run Value. Spread evenly, that DRS total works out to roughly minus-9 runs per 1,300 innings, about one full season of starts.
Chisholm, despite his errors, posted 13 OAA at second base this season. Measured against Garcia’s career pace at the position, that is a gap of nearly 20 outs over a full year.
At first base, Garcia has been a different defender, with 2 DRS and 3 OAA. His bat also broke out. He hit 30 home runs, nearly doubling his previous career high of 18, and slashed .277/.309/.521 with a 124 wRC+.
He remains under club control for one more year through arbitration, with projections near $11 million. Add McMahon’s $16 million, and the Yankees would pay $27 million in 2027 to two infielders, only one of whom fits Boone’s new picture.
Volpe, a Gold Glove shortstop as a rookie in 2023, made his first big-league appearance at third base on Sept. 25 against Baltimore. He handled three chances there without an error during his summer stint at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Where the infield stands before Game 3
Nothing is final. Chisholm could still receive a qualifying offer, though Trent Grisham accepted one from the Yankees a year ago. McMahon’s salary complicates any trade.
Giancarlo Stanton, signed with the Yankees through 2027, adds another layer. With Garcia and Rice holding first base and designated hitter, Stanton has been limited to pinch-hitting this postseason. Garcia at second would reopen the DH spot.
Free agency also offers second base options, including Brandon Lowe and Luis Arraez.
For now, the Yankees face a more immediate decision. Boone has used the same lefty-heavy lineup against right-handed starters three times this postseason. Whether Volpe starts at third base in the Bronx on Wednesday remains unannounced.
A loss ends the season. A win buys the Yankees one more night before the infield decisions arrive.
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