CLEVELAND -- The Yankees know what kind of a dynamic force Jacoby Ellsbury can be at the top of their lineup, and with their offense sputtering, manager Joe Girardi is hopeful that the outfielder can clear his head to reclaim that early level of performance.
Girardi benched Ellsbury for Wednesday's game against the Indians, giving him additional time to work with hitting coach Jeff Pentland and assistant hitting coach Alan Cockrell. Ellsbury is batting .179 with 28 strikeouts in 28 games since returning from a sprained right knee on July 8.
"He's OK, he's just been struggling and I thought I would just give him a day and let him do some work to see if we can get him back on track," Girardi said.