NEW YORK -- New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi deemed Jacoby Ellsbury, his $153 million centerfielder, was the man to sit tonight against Tampa Bay Rays lefthander Matt Moore. But when Aaron Hicks, the player anointed to replace Ellsbury in the Yankees lineup, injured his shoulder diving for a ball in the fourth inning and had to leave the game, Girardi had no choice but to insert Ellsbury into the game.
You can bet he's glad he did. Ellsbury, who was benched because Girardi thinks the right-handed hitting Hicks is better than he against lefties, stroked a two-out single in the fifth, advanced to second on a hit by Didi Gregorius, and moved to third on a balk.