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C-Mac: Time to bump Anthony Volpe from leadoff spot, make Ben Rice cleanup hitter

After another Yankee loss, C-Mac is ready to shuffle the deck when it comes to the Yankee lineup.

His two main changes would involve Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo, both of whom continue to struggle badly in key parts of the order.


“It’s a major problem,” C-Mac said. “Yes, catcher is a problem right now…but the biggest problems right now are Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo. Without question.

“I’m at the point where it needs to happen now. Volpe is no longer the leadoff hitter, and Verdugo can’t bat cleanup. It needs to change. The offense is struggling. You have to do something. Volpe at the bottom of the order does more for me than at the top. I felt that before…his OPS is under .700. At the beginning of the year, it looked like he was gonna have this monster season.”

Volpe has hit a wall and is showing no signs of breaking out, while Verdugo is now mired in a prolonged slump in the cleanup spot. If C-Mac were in Aaron Boone’s office, he would recommend splitting up Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, while making the youngster Ben Rice be Judge’s protection for the time being.

“I need Juan Soto at the top of the order. Even when he’s struggling, he walks,” C-Mac said. “I need Juan Soto at the top, I need Aaron Judge hitting third, and then I need Ben Rice as my cleanup hitter. Ben Rice right now is without question the guy giving them the best at-bats. He looks like a hitter.

“I would open up that two spot for a guy trying to get hot. My lineup tomorrow would be Soto, Verdugo, Judge, and then Ben Rice.”

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