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Garrett Cooper creating dilemma for Joe Girardi

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Things are starting to get interesting at first base for the New York Yankees. Between Chase Headley and Garrett Cooper swinging hot bats, it seems unlikely that Greg Bird will have a spot in the lineup upon his return from injury.

And despite Headley’s resurgence since his move to first base, the Yankees rode Cooper’s hot hand on Thursday night in the final game of a three game set against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cooper has thrived since getting the opportunity to play for the Yankees. In his last seven games he is 11-for-23, with 5 RBI and two extra-base hits. To go along with that, Cooper recorded his first four hit night on Wednesday – forcing Girardi to put him in the lineup on Thursday. The rookie certainly didn’t disappoint on Thursday night either as he collected another two hits in the 4-0, shutout loss. Cooper’s two hits were nearly half of what the Yankees entire offense amounted all night.

With that being said, Cooper is certainly earning his playing time at first base and making things incredibly difficult for manager Joe Girardi going forward. The debate now becomes: do you platoon Cooper and Headley once Bird returns?

My answer is no. Certainly, Headley has proved to hit the ball well since moving to first but Cooper has simply been hitting the ball tremendously all season, predominantly in Triple-A. If Cooper’s success continues, management is going to be faced with the decision of whether or not they need to move on from Greg Bird entirely, at least for the 2017 season.