Add The New York Post on Google Anthony Volpe took grounders at third base before Wednesday’s game, and José Caballero started at third in two of the Yankees’ previous three games.
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
But Ryan McMahon was back there again against the Rays as the Yankees try to get him right before the playoffs.
And Aaron Boone insisted it’s still possible.
Boone professed his confidence that McMahon remains a viable option, even as the long-slumping player has also regressed on defense.
“Defensively, I have tremendous faith in him moving forward,” Boone said Wednesday. “I understand he’s had a couple misplays here along the way, but I view it as, ‘I want him in the game with the ball hit to him in a big spot.’ ”
That may be the case, but McMahon’s issues with his glove don’t just come down to a few recent errors.
According to FanGraphs, his defensive runs saved have dropped from 10 last season to -2 this year.
And scouts who have watched McMahon have noted a drop-off in his range, glove and overall fielding throughout the season.
“I get why they’re still trying to make it work,’’ one American League scout said. “The other options [at third] aren’t great, especially as you’re staring at the playoffs. But if he’s not going to be not just reliable, but stellar, then the issues with his bat are even worse.”
As Boone noted, “Offensively, it’s been a struggle, especially in the second half.”
Complicating matters are the lefty-swinging McMahon’s issues against left-handed pitching, which could open the door for Caballero or Amed Rosario, especially if they face a Red Sox team that’s filled with southpaws.
Caballero has done well at third but is valued for his ability to come off the bench, while the Yankees have continued to believe that Rosario, who has hit lefties well in recent years, will get back to that after having a hard time against them this season.
McMahon entered Wednesday with a .614 OPS, which ranked 224th out of 232 players with at least 350 plate appearances.
And versus lefties, McMahon has an OPS of .518, also among the lowest in the majors.
Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+.
That doesn’t figure to lead to too many good matchups for McMahon.
Boone, though, said McMahon has “gotten a lot of big hits for us along the way. Defensively, not much has changed in that I view him as top-shelf over there.”
A year ago against Boston in the wild card, McMahon started just one of the three games, but then had a solid series in the ALDS against Toronto.
“We’ll try to get more out of him offensively,’’ Boone said. “Last year, he went into the postseason and right away had some big hits for us. You never know how that can switch, especially when a guy has the ability like [McMahon] does.”
As for the Volpe experiment, Boone said he wanted to get the converted shortstop over to third “a time or two” before the end of the regular season.
Volpe played three games at third with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season and would be “ready to go” if called upon.
