Brett Gardner has been a main fixture in the Yankees clubhouse since his arrival in 2008, and despite Giancarlo Stanton‘s entrance to an already crowded outfield, Gardner is still expected to get a huge amount of playing time.
But with new Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioning a potential rotation of the outfield, one wonders how much playing time Gardner will actually get. The Yankees have already hinted at getting Stanton and Aaron Judge reps in left field on days Gardner would either DH or have the day off.
So when asked about the amount of playing time he could receive, Gardner said the following to Erik Boland of Newsday:
Brett Gardner on playing time: “hopefully more times than not I’ll be out there. We’ve got a really talented roster, a lot of outfielders capable of doing a lot of different things. Wherever I fit into the picture I’ll be glad to be out there…whatever they need me to do”
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 19, 2018
Gardner is high on the Yankees outfield depth chart, and with good reason; Gardner had a 4.9 WAR while hitting a career high in home runs, and logging a .350 OPB. But with Judge, Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Clint Frazier in the picture, Gardner having as many starts as last season isn’t exactly a given.
As we’ve seen in the past Gardner is reliable to the Yankees on the field, especially since he’s a Gold Glove caliber center fielder playing a spacious left field at Yankee Stadium. As long as he puts up productive numbers at the plate, he’s their starting left fielder.
But anything can happen in this long season, and with the current outfield depth, Gardner has to play as if he has something to lose. He has a starting job to begin the season, but if he doesn’t produce he could be in the same boat as Ellsbury–on the bench searching for playing time.
