Matt Carpenter's 'power and patience' impressing Yankees
New York Yankees second baseman Matt Carpenter (24) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY on Sunday, June 12, 2022 Credit: Noah K. Murray
Matt Carpenter, one of the best early season Yankees stories – among many – was back in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Rays, batting sixth as the designated hitter.
And why not? The 36-year-old former All-Star, whom the Yankees picked up on May 26 as a lefthanded insurance policy and extra infielder, has been on a tear, mostly recently hitting two home runs and a double and drawing a walk in Sunday’s 18-4 rout of the Cubs.
“I mean, he’s been terrific,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “Today made a lot of sense, coming out of the off day, get another lefty back in there.”
With Giancarlo Stanton playing rightfield, Boone had the DH spot available, and gave it to Carpenter.
Boone said the thing that has impressed him most about Carpenter is his “power and patience.”
The power showed itself in him hitting six home runs among his first seven hits with the team, a feat only accomplished once before in the major leagues since 1900 – by Trevor Story of the Rockies in 2016.
The patience was the ability to go long stretches without playing and still get the job done when called upon.
“This past week, he really hadn’t played much at all, and he goes in there the other day, and it’s right away the same kind of quality at bat,” Boone said. “So it’s been impressive.”
Carpenter started the season with the Rangers organization in Triple-A, where he was batting .275 with six home runs and a .992 OPS.
Boone said that when he had to put Carpenter on the bench earlier this month when Stanton and Josh Donaldson returned, he told him, “This game has a way of changing in a hurry, and then I’ll have a hard time getting you out of the lineup.”
Apparently so.
Donaldson serves suspension
Josh Donaldson served his one-game suspension from MLB after it was upheld on appeal on Monday. Last month, he taunted the White Sox’s Tim Anderson by calling him “Jackie” in reference to the late baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
