BALTIMORE — Cody Bellinger enjoyed a get-right game on Tuesday night to further build on an encouraging week and was rewarded on Wednesday with … a day off.
The Orioles sending lefty Cade Povich to the mound had something to do with that, but it is also the conundrum the Yankees are facing on a daily basis as they rotate four outfielders for three spots — or, really, three outfielders for two spots because Aaron Judge is not going anywhere unless it is the occasional DH day.
Aaron Boone considers this a good problem to have because it has largely been necessitated by Trent Grisham’s resurgent start to the season that has forced his bat into the lineup on a regular basis. It means that on most nights, one of Bellinger, Grisham or Jasson Domínguez is going to be out of the lineup.
“We have a lot of deserving people to play,” Boone said Wednesday at Camden Yards before wrapping up a series against the Orioles with a 5-4 loss. “So I have a guy [sitting] usually every day that I’d rather have in the lineup. But it also gives us a chance to keep guys fresh, keep guys playing a lot.
“Just feel like this’ll hopefully be a good thing in the long haul for all of us.”
The daily decision is more difficult when the Yankees are facing a right-handed starter, as the switch-hitting Domínguez is better from the left side and both Grisham and Bellinger hit left-handed.
And the puzzle may get even more complicated whenever Giancarlo Stanton returns from the injured list, especially if Ben Rice is still crushing the ball — therefore taking away even more DH at-bats from one of the outfielders — but that is not imminent.
Entering Wednesday, Bellinger and Domínguez had each started 25 games while Grisham had started 17, but seven of the past eight when he was not on the paternity list.
His importance to the lineup has taken off in recent weeks, with the left-handed hitter now suddenly a fixture at the top of the lineup — mostly in the top spot, where he crushed another leadoff homer on Tuesday, though he batted second against Povich on Wednesday, going 1-for-4.
Grisham, who is now hitting .292, entered the night with a 1.030 OPS — second on the team behind only Judge’s 1.235.
The center fielder’s track record would suggest that playing this well may not be fully sustainable over the course of the long season, but the Yankees are going to keep running him out there as long as he continues to hit.
“Regularity helps — I’m not going to say it doesn’t,” Grisham said this week. “I learned a lot last year about coming off the bench and I think it made me a little better in that aspect. So I think I’m more fit for handling both roles.”
Bellinger, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with a home run, two-run double and two walks Tuesday and entered the game batting .318 with a 1.039 OPS, six walks and only three strikeouts over his past six games before striking out in a pinch-hit appearance Wednesday.
He has been the least productive hitter of the three outfielders through the first month of the season (with a .644 OPS), but may be finding some footing of late.
“I feel like he’s built some momentum here these last couple of days,” Boone said.
As for Domínguez, the 22-year-old — who went 0-for-4 in the Yankees’ loss on Wednesday night — has been a different hitter from either side of the plate.
In 62 plate appearances as a left-handed hitter, he was batting .321 with a .887 OPS. In 38 plate appearances as a right-handed hitter, he was batting just .094 (3-for-32) with a .424 OPS.
“I think it’s inexperience,” Boone said. “He just hasn’t played a ton of baseball for a 22-year-old. So that really shows up on the right side where you’re obviously getting less at-bats. I think he has the makings to be good over there, while acknowledging it’s been a struggle there too.
“The good thing about this year there, I feel like he’s shown signs of really controlling the zone from that side. There’s been some swing-and-miss there. He’s got a couple really big hits for us from that side too. One of those things you got to keep working at and be a little patient with a young player.”
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