Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Unveil Opening Day Lineup: Who Starts, Who Sits?

Gleyber Torres will begin the 2022 season on the bench with DJ LeMahieu starting at second base.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — It’s that time of year once again.

After a one-day postponement due to inclement weather, the Yankees are set to open the 2022 regular season on Friday afternoon, facing the Boston Red Sox.

With that, we have our first official starting lineup of the season, an order put together by manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees.

Here is the Yankees' starting nine for Friday’s opener:

  1. Josh Donaldson, 3B
  2. Aaron Judge, RF
  3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
  4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
  5. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
  6. Joey Gallo, LF
  7. Aaron Hicks, CF
  8. Kyle Higashioka, C
  9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa

New York will step into the batter’s box against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, the starter the Yankees also faced in their final game in 2021. That, of course, was a loss in the American League Wild Card Game at Fenway Park.

There’s plenty to talk about with this order. Isiah Kiner-Falefa debuting in the No. 9 spot, Kyle Higashioka looking to carry his powerful Grapefruit League numbers into the regular season and Joey Gallo hoping to bounce back from a disappointing first impression in pinstripes.

Beyond those three topics, here are three more storylines from this Opening Day lineup:

Breaking Down the New York Yankees Opening Day Lineup

Josh Donaldson leads off, DJ LeMahieu starts at second base and Gleyber Torres begins the season on the bench. 

Not Gleyber Day

Gleyber Torres looking on from Yankees dugout
Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

We've talked for weeks about which Yankee infielder will sit on Opening Day.

Could DJ LeMahieu actually start the season on the bench?

As it turns out, it's Gleyber Torres that is the odd man out for Game 1 of the regular season.

Torres couldn't quite handle the starting shortstop position last year and will slide back to second base this season. With Josh Donaldson at third, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and Anthony Rizzo at first base, LeMahieu gets the nod over Torres.

LeMahieu has won three Gold Glove Awards at second base in his illustrious career, bringing a healthy bat to the middle of New York's lineup. 

Don't think this means Torres won't be playing routinely. Boone has made it clear that there will be reshuffling in the starting lineup throughout the season, a way to manage the Yankees' overloaded infield. 

Stanton Room Only

Yankees Giancarlo Stanton makes catch in the outfield
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Giancarlo Stanton assured that he’ll play outfield a few times each week this year. At least, that’s the plan.

As it turns out, he'll start the season at designated hitter. 

When Stanton does start in the outfield, he'll probably play right field, pushing Aaron Judge over to center (a spot that Judge has played throughout his career and thoroughly enjoys).

If you look back at last season, Stanton seemed to find a groove when he began injecting some days in the outfield into his weekly routine. 

By Gosh, It’s Josh

Yankees 3B Josh Donaldson rounds bases
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Boone revealed on Thursday that Josh Donaldson will be hitting leadoff in his Yankees debut.

When Donaldson was acquired earlier this spring, this would’ve been a surprise. Donaldson has only a few official appearances leading off (you have to go back to his MVP season in 2015 when he was on the Blue Jays).

Nonetheless, Boone and the Yankees quickly found a home for the slugger in the order’s No. 1 spot as Donaldson hit leadoff for the majority of spring training.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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