Yankees debut potential starting lineup for playoffs on Tuesday vs Royals

The New York Yankees' potential lineup for the 2024 MLB Playoffs is here, and it's spectacular. One night after the Yankees rolled out Jasson Dominguez as a potential additional weapon (after weeks of ignoring his clear immediate impact, but still...), they decided to shift Alex Verdugo to the bench and complete an outfield picture that all fans hope will represent the long-term future of this franchise.

Juan Soto is batting second Tuesday night against Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals, the current ace of a team New York might encounter this October. Aaron Judge is batting third, per usual. They're both playing right and center field, respectively.

In left field? It's Dominguez, who played center in his Monday night re-debut to accommodate Judge (who got a DH night) and Verdugo (who played left, homered, and said all the right things in the game's aftermath).

On Tuesday, things will be a degree more exciting than they looked in Monday's lefty-heavy lineup against right-hander Brady Singer. Anthony Volpe's back and batting ninth. Dominguez has moved into what'll hopefully be his future home. And Verdugo, who did his job on Monday night, will be acclimated to the bench (and, quite possibly, will be used in a big spot).

Yankees Playoff Lineup: Jasson Dominguez starts in left field, Alex Verdugo to bench vs. KC Royals

Verdugo's recent production has (gulps) actually been solid; in a still-tiny sample size since switching batting gloves and combatting his allergy, he's now hitting .333 with a 137 wRC+.

He's never shied away from big moments before, and could turn himself into a genuine bench asset (unfortunately, he won't provide much as a platoon alternative to Dominguez, considering neither performs well against left-handed pitching). There's also the chance that Dominguez scuffles for a bit, though it's better he gets those jitters out during the regular season than when it's for all the marbles.

In the opener, Dominguez created a run, swiping third after going the other way with a well-placed single, then scampering home on an error. Verdugo played his part well, too, after being the centerpiece of the pregame discourse. On Tuesday? All of that data goes into a different file, as Stanton and Volpe join a new-look order that has a much higher percentage of being deployed in a hypothetical Game 1. Game on.