Inconsistency has been a recurring theme for the Yankees in 2021. Currently, the team is lively and recently won 13 games in a row, but for a stretch earlier this season they performed in a fashion that can only be described as uninspired and mediocre. Multiple guys have been slotted in positions they don’t normally play. Fifty-seven different players have been on the roster since Opening Day. And while it’s a more granular aspect of the game, the Yankees’ strategy has also been inconsistent when making defensive substitutions late in a game.
Managers make this decision most often when a player who started the game was selected to play in the game more for his batting prowess than his fielding ability.