A fiery postgame talk didn’t do the trick over the weekend, so on Tuesday, Aaron Boone went with a new lineup to spark the Yankees.
Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier — as well as Rougned Odor — sat.
They were replaced by Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman in the outfield, with Mike Ford starting at first base after being called up from the alternate site to take Jay Bruce’s place on the roster.
And Boone added Hicks might be out again Wednesday.
“Maybe a couple days to take a step back and get some of the proper work in and make adjustments he wants to make,’’ Boone said of Hicks. “Just taking it day-to-day right now. The bottom line is, if we’re gonna be the team we expect to be, Aaron Hicks is gonna be right in the middle of that and play a huge role for us. Frankly, nothing has changed in my mind other than he’s one of the guys that’s gotten off to a slow start and would benefit from a day off and possibly two. We’ll see where I’m at [Wednesday] on it.”
Facing Atlanta right-hander Charlie Morton in The Bronx on Tuesday, the moves were hardly unexpected, as Hicks and Frazier have struggled throughout the season and the Yankees were looking for more lefty bats.
But a day after general manager Brian Cashman offered his support of the roster and Boone, they were significant nonetheless, as Frazier (with one hit in 24 at-bats) is now clearly in a lefty-righty platoon with Gardner and the switch-hitting Hicks, who was penciled in as the No. 3 hitter in the beginning of the season, has fallen out of favor.
“There’s a part of him that just wants to play his way through it,’’ Boone said. “I totally get that.”
Boone also pointed to getting Gardner and especially Tauchman playing time, but he noted a “step back” might do Hicks well to work with hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach PJ Pillitere.
“He’s not gonna be down there overworking because I don’t think that’s what it’s about, but sometimes when you go through a struggle, a little step back and [being able to] exhale a little bit can sometimes reset you,’’ said Boone, who just wants the center fielder to “go out and play.”
Both Hicks and Frazier also had rough days in the outfield in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay, a defeat that extended the Yankees’ losing streak to five games and forced Cashman to speak out in support of his team on Monday’s off day.
The addition of Tauchman in left field — along with Gardner in center — addresses some of the Yankees’ defensive woes and gives them more speed in a lineup that hasn’t done anything well in the opening weeks of the regular season.
Gleyber Torres remained at shortstop, with DJ LeMahieu at second base, Ford at first and Odor on the bench.
“I would say nothing has changed for me as far as my confidence in our guys and what our team is capable of being,’’ Boone said. “Whether we’re going through a tough stretch like we are to start the season or rolling, I know what guys are capable of in the room and I know they know what they’re capable of.”
He’s counting on the rest of the year playing out differently than the first few weeks.
“There’s a reason we play 162 [games],’’ the manager said. “It’s the ultimate separator. Whether we go on and win 100 games and have a great season or struggle, there’s gonna be bumps along the way. You’ve got to be able to deal with them and this group, I feel, is absolutely equipped to handle that. … We’re unwavering in our belief we’ll get this thing turned around.”
