New York Yankees: lineup and rotation patterns
How the Yankees set their lineup and rotation in 2023–2025: a lineup that kept more left-handed hitters per game against left-handers than any other, a leadoff spot that did, and the shortest rotation turns in baseball.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
A lineup that bent less for left-handers
Most clubs swap in right-handed bats when a left-hander starts: the average lineup had 1.6 fewer left-handed hitters. The 2025 Yankees changed less. They started 3.6 left-handed hitters per game against left-handed starters, more than any other club, after starting 4.7 against right-handers, the third most. Their 20 different starters in the lineup were the third fewest in baseball (only Philadelphia and the Mets used fewer), so the same core simply stayed in. The biggest full-season switch came at first base: Ben Rice started 83% of games against right-handers but 42% against left-handers, and Paul Goldschmidt started all 36 games against left-handed starters.
That stability did not extend to the top of the order. The same hitter led off consecutive games less often than anywhere except Detroit. Trent Grisham led off 88 times, Goldschmidt 41 and Rice 21, while Aaron Judge settled into the second and third spots (77 and 74 starts). Only five players started at DH, tied for the second fewest; Judge (56), Rice (48) and Giancarlo Stanton (47) took most of it, with Stanton's first start of the season coming in June.
Three seasons, one constant
Across 2023–2025 only one position had the same leader every year: Anthony Volpe at shortstop (150, 158 and 147 starts). Elsewhere the names turned over. Gleyber Torres led second base in 2023 and 2024, Jazz Chisholm in 2025. First base went from Anthony Rizzo to Goldschmidt. Center field had a different leader each season: Harrison Bader, then Judge, then Grisham. At third base Ryan McMahon led with 49 starts despite making his first start for the club that season in July. Cody Bellinger was the second most frequent starter in left, center and right field. Behind the plate Austin Wells led for the second straight year (96, then 112 starts), with Ben Rice (26) and J. C. Escarra (24) catching the rest.
A rotation on a short turn
No club started its pitchers on four days of rest or fewer more often: 44% of the time, narrowly ahead of Kansas City. Carlos Rodon made 16 of his 33 starts that way, Will Warren 15 of 33 and Max Fried 13 of 32. Long gaps were the rarest in the league, too: just two starts came after more than 10 days. The cast still changed during the season. Clarke Schmidt's last start was on July 3, Cam Schlittler made his first on July 9 and finished with 14, and Luis Gil did not start until August 3.
The record was 94–68 for the second year running, with the best month in September (18–7). For 2027 the open questions sit where the data already showed movement: leadoff, third base and the outfield corners.
Where the New York Yankees ranked in 2025
| New York Yankees | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 94 | 81.0 | T-3 |
| Different batting orders | 133 | 135.9 | 20 |
| Same order as previous game | 3.7% | 4.8% | T-14 |
| Most uses of one order | 5 | 4.8 | T-8 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 50% | 75% | 29 |
| Players in the lineup | 20 | 24.4 | 28 |
| Games vs LHP | 36 | 42.6 | T-25 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1 |
| Starting pitchers | 11 | 13.2 | 21 |
| Top-five starters' share | 78% | 76% | 15 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 44% | 31% | 1 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 1% | 5% | 30 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 69% | 58% | 6 |
| Players at DH | 5 | 10.7 | T-27 |
| Top DH's share | 35% | 51% | 23 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 82–80 | 134 / 28 | 153 | 24 | 12 |
| 2024 | 94–68 | 118 / 44 | 106 | 20 | 8 |
| 2025 | 94–68 | 126 / 36 | 133 | 20 | 11 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Kyle Higashioka (71) | Austin Wells (96) | Austin Wells (112) |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo (92) | Anthony Rizzo (91) | Paul Goldschmidt (113) |
| 2B | Gleyber Torres (141) | Gleyber Torres (152) | Jazz Chisholm (97) |
| 3B | DJ LeMahieu (67) | Oswaldo Cabrera (62) | Ryan McMahon (49) |
| SS | Anthony Volpe (150) | Anthony Volpe (158) | Anthony Volpe (147) |
| LF | Oswaldo Cabrera (34) | Alex Verdugo (137) | Jasson Dominguez (93) |
| CF | Harrison Bader (76) | Aaron Judge (105) | Trent Grisham (124) |
| RF | Aaron Judge (50) | Juan Soto (145) | Aaron Judge (95) |
| DH | Giancarlo Stanton (65) | Giancarlo Stanton (109) | Aaron Judge (56) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 31 | 18–13 | 7 | 24 | 6 | – |
| May | 26 | 17–9 | 6 | 24 | 5 | DJ LeMahieu, Jorbit Vivas |
| June | 27 | 13–14 | 7 | 26 | 7 | Giancarlo Stanton |
| July | 25 | 12–13 | 4 | 22 | 7 | Austin Slater, Ryan McMahon |
| August | 28 | 16–12 | 5 | 21 | 5 | Amed Rosario, Jose Caballero |
| September | 25 | 18–7 | 7 | 22 | 5 | none |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Trent Grisham (88); 2. Aaron Judge (77); 3. Aaron Judge (74); 4. Cody Bellinger (53); 5. Jazz Chisholm (70); 6. Anthony Volpe (49); 7. Anthony Volpe (38); 8. Austin Wells (31); 9. Oswald Peraza (40).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ben Rice (26) | 3 | 56% |
| 1B | Ben Rice (46) | 3 | 45% |
| 2B | DJ LeMahieu (35) | 7 | 28% |
| 3B | Oswald Peraza (34) | 8 | 39% |
| SS | Jose Caballero (12) | 3 | 11% |
| LF | Cody Bellinger (59) | 5 | 57% |
| CF | Cody Bellinger (38) | 2 | 38% |
| RF | Cody Bellinger (48) | 7 | 48% |
| DH | Ben Rice (48) | 5 | 48% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.7 | 3.4 | 0.9 |
| Left-handed | 3.6 | 4.9 | 0.5 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Rice | left-handed | 83% (105) | 42% (15) |
| Paul Goldschmidt | right-handed | 63% (79) | 100% (36) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Rodon | LHP | 33 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 25, 2025 | 4.5 | 16 |
| Will Warren | RHP | 33 | April 1, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 15 |
| Max Fried | LHP | 32 | March 29, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 5 | 13 |
| Clarke Schmidt | RHP | 14 | April 16, 2025 | July 3, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Cam Schlittler | RHP | 14 | July 9, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Luis Gil | RHP | 11 | Aug. 3, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Marcus Stroman | RHP | 9 | March 30, 2025 | July 31, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Ryan Yarbrough | LHP | 8 | May 3, 2025 | June 18, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Rest before start | New York Yankees | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 44% | 31% |
| 5 days | 45% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 9% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 1% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 69% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 32 | 53% | 44% |
| All other games | 130 | 73% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | 56 | 35% |
| Ben Rice | 48 | 30% |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 47 | 29% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used 5 times, more than the club average of 4.8.
Lineup 1 (5 times, last on Aug. 22, 2025): 1. Trent Grisham CF, 2. Ben Rice 1B, 3. Aaron Judge DH, 4. Cody Bellinger RF, 5. Jazz Chisholm 2B, 6. Jasson Dominguez LF, 7. Anthony Volpe SS, 8. Ryan McMahon 3B, 9. Austin Wells C.
Lineup 2 (3 times, last on April 2, 2025): 1. Paul Goldschmidt 1B, 2. Cody Bellinger CF, 3. Aaron Judge RF, 4. Jazz Chisholm 2B, 5. Anthony Volpe SS, 6. Austin Wells C, 7. Jasson Dominguez LF, 8. Ben Rice DH, 9. Oswaldo Cabrera 3B.
Lineup 3 (3 times, last on April 22, 2025): 1. Ben Rice DH, 2. Aaron Judge RF, 3. Cody Bellinger CF, 4. Paul Goldschmidt 1B, 5. Jazz Chisholm 2B, 6. Anthony Volpe SS, 7. Jasson Dominguez LF, 8. J. C. Escarra C, 9. Oswaldo Cabrera 3B.
Top nine vs RHP (9/126): Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm, Ryan McMahon, Trent Grisham.
Top nine vs LHP (2/36): Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Ben Rice, Jasson Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm, Oswald Peraza, Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.