For the first time in nearly three months, there is a shakeup at the top of the Yankees’ batting order.
One youngster has replaced another, with Ben Rice and not Anthony Volpe batting leadoff for Thursday’s series finale against the Reds in The Bronx.
Volpe was last in a lineup and not leading off on April 9, when he rode a hot streak to the top of the order.
But the second-year shortstop has stalled in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
He’s slashed just .242/.293/.358 as the No. 1 hitter, consistently struggling to reach base ahead of maybe the two best hitters in baseball.
Against Reds righty Frankie Montas, Volpe was bumped to sixth in the order.
Rice, a 25-year-old rookie, has impressed in his first couple weeks in the majors and entered play with a .378 on-base percentage.