Aaron Boone's Tuesday lineup decision will tell you everything about Yankees' chances

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone finally made a lineup decision fans have been clamoring for on Sunday, benching the struggling Anthony Volpe in favor of the defensively superior Jose Caballero. The question now is, how far will he go to put the Yankees in the best possible position to succeed?

The fiery Caballero delivered, going 1-for-3 and coming in clutch with a big RBI sac fly to score Giancarlo Stanton in the fourth. Ryan McMahon also advanced to second on the play, extending the threat even though he'd be stranded.

That one play should inspire Boone. The sac fly came as a result of Caballero getting an opportunity and not trying to do too much. Dustin May left a sinker up, and the light-hitting utility man did just enough to get the ball deep enough into the outfield for Stanton to score. It's hard not to envision Volpe swinging out of his shoes and popping the ball up in that scenario.

But that's just the start for the test that Boone is about to go through, and the way he handles the lineup against Washington Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore on Tuesday will tell you all you need to know about the Yankees' chances down the stretch.

How Aaron Boone deploys the Yankees lineup against MacKenzie Gore will provide crucial insight

In the first half of the season, 26-year-old southpaw MacKenzie Gore appeared to be emerging as one of the game's elite left-handed starters. The former top prospect made his way to Washington via San Diego in the Juan Soto trade became an in-demand name at the deadline, thanks in large part to him finally realizing his immense potential.

However, since the All-Star break, Gore has seen the wheels fall off. His 3.01 ERA in the first half has given way to a 7.88 mark in the second half. In seven second-half starts, Gore struggled mightily against right-handed hitters, allowing a .323/.414/.604 line and eight dingers.

The Yankees are a lefty-heavy team, with both catchers, half of their outfield, and two-thirds of non-first base infield starters batting from the left side. Fortunately, they made some moves at the deadline that address this concern. The injured Austin Slater would've been a great option to maximize this matchup, but fortunately the Yankees have another lefty masher waiting in the wings in the form of Gore's former Nationals teammate, Amed Rosario.

Rosario got the start on Saturday against lefty Garrett Crochet and went 2-for-3 with two singles against the Cy Young contender, serving as one of the only Yankees who showed up to play that day. With an .875 OPS against lefties this year, Rosario is a must-play.

At this point, so too is Caballero. The MLB stolen base leader is slashing .286/.382/.536 in 15 games since arriving in the Bronx, despite inconsistent playing time.

As much as fans would like to see Volpe remain on the bench, an infield alignment of Rosario at the hot corner, Volpe at short, Caballero at second, and Paul Goldschmidt (1.159 OPS against lefties this season) at first makes a ton of sense, if Boone wanted to get really aggressive. For his part, despite his struggles, Volpe does have a .270/.333/.452 line against lefties this season.

Once a righty comes into the game, Boone can counter with Jazz Chisholm Jr. off the bench, sliding Caballero over to short and sending Volpe back to the bench. From there, he can also lean into defense, subbing Ryan McMahon in for Rosario at third.

Moving forward, the Yankees need to get creative with their deployment against lefties, and whether or not Boone is daring enough to mix it up in this manner will be a clear sign as to whether the team can get back on track during the stretch run.