Aaron Boone ramps up pressure on Giancarlo Stanton with ALCS Game 3 lineup change

Giancarlo Stanton is well past his athletic prime but Aaron Boone believes he still has the power in his bat to hit cleanup for the Yankees in the ALCS.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have knocked off the Guardians twice in the Bronx to build a valuable 2-0 lead in the ALCS. No one can accuse manager Aaron Boone of resting on his team’s laurels though. Instead, he’s ready to make a big change in the team’s batting order heading into Game 3.

Michael Kay of the YES Network and the radio talk show of his own name reports that Giancarlo Stanton is set to take over for Austin Wells in the cleanup spot. The right-handed slugger had been hitting fifth to permit the top five hitters in the order to alternate between right and left-handed bats.

Wells’ protracted playoff slump hasn’t stopped New York from winning the first two games of the series but Boone does see it as an obvious issue to address in his batting order.

Yankees ALCS Game 3 lineup sees Giancarlo Stanton move to cleanup, Austin Wells sitting

Wells won’t just move down in the order. He’s going to move to the bench in favor of Jose Trevino. The veteran started the year as the prohibitive favorite to be Boone’s starting catcher but was displaced. He only managed to play in 73 regular season games and is yet to appear in a game during the team’s current postseason run.

Wells improved his defense massively this season en route to claiming the starting catcher job for his own, but Trevino is still widely regarded as the superior fielder. Part of Boone’s decision to give the veteran backstop the start in Game 3 will be designed to improve the team’s overall defense. Costly mistakes by Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Rizzo have hurt the Yankees in their series against Cleveland.

The decision to move Stanton up one spot in the lineup should make Cleveland pitchers think twice before putting Aaron Boone on base via the intentional walk. Judge isn’t going to start seeing a steady diet of fastballs down the middle but he might get a few more strikes to entertain with Stanton standing on deck.

Stanton’s postseason power surge provides Boone the cover he needs to make this switch and still win out in the court of public opinion. Things may change quickly if he doesn’t produce behind Boone in Game 3 but it’s a worthwhile risk given just how bad Wells has been at providing any meaningful protection.

This is not necessarily a permanent move by Boone but it should help keep his team fresh heading to Cleveland. All eyes will be on Stanton and Trevino as they take on new roles as the Yankees try to advance to the World Series.