Yankees face elimination, shake up lineup for ALDS Game 3 against Rays

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees, facing elimination, have reshuffled their lineup for Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone inserted Anthony Volpe at second base and Jose Caballero at third, benching Jazz Chisholm and adding Trent Grisham to lead off. Caballero will bat ninth.

"Two guys that have been an important part of our team this year, that have played important roles, that played a lot for us, and a lot of confidence in what they bring to the table," Boone said.

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"So just kind of felt like thinking about it on the plane ride home, kind of made my decision there, and then just stewed through the lineup yesterday. And yeah, hopefully excited to get those guys in and hopefully it will be a little spark for us."

The Yankees trail the best-of-five series 2-0 after losing both games in Tampa. They must win three straight to advance.

Tampa Bay won Game 1 by a 5-2 score and took Game 2 by a 4-3 margin. The Rays won the season series 8-5.

"Well, we’ve got to win. We’ve got to play the first inning of Game 3," Boone said. "We’ve got to come out and play well. We’ve responded all year. We need to do it again. Obviously we need to play better and it starts with just one at a time. I don’t even get ahead of myself and [try to] win three. We’ve got to win one and we’ve got to play better Wednesday night to make that happen."

The Rays are also adjusting their lineup, with outfielder Chandler Simpson out for Game 3 but expected to play a role later.

"Look, Fried's numbers against us -- he's pitched very well against us," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Figured a little bit more versatility, a little more balance to the lineup rather than loading up all the lefties. I would imagine it's very safe to say or assume that Chandler will play a very big role in this game."

The Yankees will start left-hander Max Fried, who allowed one run on three hits over six innings against Boston in the wild-card round, striking out six.

The Rays counter with right-hander Nick Martinez, who was 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in the regular season. Martinez has not yet pitched this postseason. He last faced the Yankees on Sept. 22, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings at Yankee Stadium while striking out seven.

The Yankees' offense has mustered just five total runs in the series. They are without former MVP Aaron Judge, who is sidelined with a calf injury and was not included on the ALDS roster. Judge appeared in just 66 games this season.

Tampa Bay, which finished with an American League-best 98-64 record, is led by Junior Caminero, who hit 42 home runs in the regular season. The Yankees swept Boston in the Wild Card round to reach the Division Series.

First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. The game will air on TBS.

A Rays victory would send them to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020.

With files from Yahoo Sports, New York Post and Complex