Yankees unveil Game 1 Wild Card lineup as critical infield calls revealed

Anthony Volpe and Amed Rosario get their chances against Payton Tolle.

The Yankees revealed their Game 1 lineup for Tuesday’s Wild Card clash against the Red Sox, with Volpe starting at second base and hitting seventh and Rosario getting the start at third base against Boston’s southpaw starter and batting sixth.

The Chisholm-Volpe call came down to whether the Yankees wanted another righty bat against Tolle in Volpe or if they preferred the better defender with a higher ceiling in Chisholm.

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) hits a two-run RBI ground-rule double during the sixth inning of game two of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Chisholm hit just .218 with a .650 OPS against southpaws this season.

For third base, the Yankees had been long expected to sit Ryan McMahon in favor of one of the two righty bats in Rosario and Caballero.

Rosario has been a lefty masher in his career but this season, he’s hit just .208 with a .606 OPS against southpaws this season.

He’s also a butcher at third base — arguably costing Cam Schlittler a start against Boston earlier in the year due to an error on a potential double-play ball — and runs are expected to be at a premium.

Caballero is not much of a hitter, but he’s a strong glove and can change games with his speed.

The Yankees, as expected, started Ben Rice as their designated hitter, opted for Spencer Jones in center field over the just-activated Trent Grisham, left trade deadline acquisition Luis Garcia Jr. on the bench and have Giancarlo Stanton on the bench as a potential pinch-hitting option.


New York Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario bats against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.
New York Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario (14) hits a single during the eighth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Yankees lineup

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
Ben Rice, DH
Heliot Ramos, RF
Cody Bellinger, LF
George Lombard, SS
Amed Rosario, 3B
Anthony Volpe, 2B
Spencer Jones, CF
Austin Wells, C

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