BOSTON — No, don’t even think it. The Yankees will not consider pulling an Aaron Hicks or DJ LeMahieu in the next week or so when they have to dump a position player to open a roster spot for the return of shortstop Anthony Volpe.
No, Ryan McMahon will not be designated for assignment.
That won’t happen with McMahon still owed about 85 percent of the $16 million he is making this season, plus another $16 million next year.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner is still paying out-of-baseball LeMahieu $15 million this year. The Yankees also released Hicks in May 2023 while still owing him $27.6 million
No matter how little offense McMahon gives them, and it’s been just a little since they acquired the left-handed hitter in a trade with the Rockies last July, he still brings tremendous value with his third-base play.
McMahon is useful despite hitting .125 with one homer, three RBIs and a .472 OPS in 21 games. When it’s time to win a close game, manager Aaron Boone values having McMahon at third base.
Did you watch Wednesday night’s 4-1 Yankees win over the Red Sox at Fenway?
After Amed Rosario got the start at third base again and drove in all four runs with a first-inning homer and third-inning sacrifice fly, McMahon went in for defense in the sixth inning and showed off.
First, the Red Sox’s sixth ended with McMahon chasing down a grounder near the third-base line with a backhand grab and then whipping a clothesline throw from foul territory to first for the out.
Two innings later, Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s liner was headed for the left-field corner until McMahon stretched into a full dive to his right to make a great grab.
Yankees starter Max Fried, who co-starred with Rosario by pitching eight scoreless innings, appreciated the outstanding glove work.
“I’ve seen that play way too many times with (McMahon) running into the foul ground and throwing the ball on the money,” Fried said. “And then obviously that diving play. Those were two big spots where you’re going have to pitch out of trouble, but they’re converted into outs and he just makes my night that much easier.”
Even though McMahon’s barely hitting a Kentucky Derby jockey’s weight and he’s still 19 homers away from a sixth consecutive 20-plus-homer season, he’s still deserving of a roster spot because he’s a defensive difference maker.
Rosario has been a much better threat at the plate and his third-base play has been satisfactory, so he’s been getting the bulk of the starts lately.
McMahon started 10 of the Yankees’ first 15 games at third, but just three of the last nine.
Some of this is because the Yankees have faced a lot of lefty starters lately. But while Rosario is a right-handed bat who hits left-handed pitchers well and McMahon is a left-handed hitter who does not, Boone prefers having his best infield defense on the field for all of Fried’s starts.
Well, that’s what was preferred before Rosario was at third base in Fried’s starts last Thursday against the Angels at Yankee Stadium and again Wednesday night in Beantown.
For Thursday’s matchup versus the Red Sox, Yankees -1.5 run line is listed at +115 on FanDuel. Our in-depth FanDuel Sportsbook review shows you how to use their platform.
Rosario has come a long way since he failed to live up to the hype he carried as a big-time Mets shortstop prospect. He was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Francisco Lindor from Cleveland to Queens, and then had a couple of decent seasons as a regular before falling more into the role of a bench player.
Now 30, Rosario is like a bottle of Pinot Noir coming of age.