Will Amed Rosario entice Yankees to cut cord on Ryan McMahon? | Analysis

First, the Red Sox’s sixth ended with McMahon chasing down a grounder near the third-base line with a backhand grab and then whipping a clothesline throw from foul territory to first for the out.

Two innings later, Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s liner was headed for the left-field corner until McMahon stretched into a full dive to his right to make a great grab.

“Wow,” Boone said. “Two tremendous plays.”

Yankees starter Max Fried, who co-starred with Rosario by pitching eight scoreless innings, appreciated the outstanding glove work.

“I’ve seen that play way too many times with (McMahon) running into the foul ground and throwing the ball on the money,” Fried said. “And then obviously that diving play. Those were two big spots where you’re going have to pitch out of trouble, but they’re converted into outs and he just makes my night that much easier.”

Uh huh.

Even though McMahon’s barely hitting a Kentucky Derby jockey’s weight and he’s still 19 homers away from a sixth consecutive 20-plus-homer season, he’s still deserving of a roster spot because he’s a defensive difference maker.

Rosario has been a much better threat at the plate and his third-base play has been satisfactory, so he’s been getting the bulk of the starts lately.

McMahon started 10 of the Yankees’ first 15 games at third, but just three of the last nine.

Some of this is because the Yankees have faced a lot of lefty starters lately. But while Rosario is a right-handed bat who hits left-handed pitchers well and McMahon is a left-handed hitter who does not, Boone prefers having his best infield defense on the field for all of Fried’s starts.

Well, that’s what was preferred before Rosario was at third base in Fried’s starts last Thursday against the Angels at Yankee Stadium and again Wednesday night in Beantown.

For Thursday’s matchup versus the Red Sox, Yankees -1.5 run line is listed at +115 on FanDuel. Our in-depth FanDuel Sportsbook review shows you how to use their platform.

Rosario has come a long way since he failed to live up to the hype he carried as a big-time Mets shortstop prospect. He was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Francisco Lindor from Cleveland to Queens, and then had a couple of decent seasons as a regular before falling more into the role of a bench player.

Now 30, Rosario is like a bottle of Pinot Noir coming of age.

He’s never been much of a power hitter, but his training at Driveline the last three offseasons has led to more bat speed, increased launch angles — and this season, more home runs.

Counting Wednesday’s blast over the Green Monster off Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suárez, Rosario has four homers and an .880 OPS in 55 plate appearances over 17 games. That’s a dramatic improvement from 2023-25, when he had 15 homers and a .695 OPS in 1,082 plate appearances over 307 games."

“I like it,” Boone said. “I am seeing the bat speed and the strength. He’s physical. He’s got a really good swing. So add it up, and he’s launched some balls.”

A day after the Yankees traded for McMahon last summer for two minor-league arms, they acquired Rosario from the Nationals for reliever Clayton Beeter and rookie league outfielder Brown Martinez.

Along with Jose Caballero and Austin Slater, Rosario was part of a summer roster reshape that brought in right-handed bats to address the Yankees’ lefty-heavy regular lineup.

The Yankees wound up receiving more than offensive contributions from Rosario, who quickly became a beloved teammate, too.

Five days after Christmas, Rosario returned on a new contract that looks like one of the majors’ best bargains, one year for $2.5 million.

“He was an instant presence for us last year when he came over at the deadline, and we kind of needed some right-handed presence,” Boone said. “He was that. And obviously, what he’s become in that room and just what a good teammate he is. I know he was one of those guys we wanted to make sure we brought him back if we could. He’s been huge for us.”

Rosario’s been so good early on this season that he’s started 14 of 25 games, 11 at third base and three at second. Besides the homers, his 13 RBIs are tied with Giancarlo Stanton for fourth most on the team. Also, his .265 batting average is tied with Stanton for third-best.

“I’ve played Rosie since I came up with the big leagues when he was with the Mets and I was with the Braves,” Fried said. “He just puts together really good at-bats and he gives lefties a really tough time and he’s really aggressive. He’s just been a really, really good player.”

A sturdy 6-foot, 227-pounder, Rosario is happy about the added power. If he keeps it up, he might make a run at surpassing the career-high 15 homers that he hit for the Mets in 2019 over 655 plate appearances.

Rosario credits Driveline’s high-tech training for his bat speed, which has soared this season to a career-high 74.3 mph. It also ties Randal Grichuk for third-fastest on the team, behind only Stanton (79.5 mph), the best in the majors, and Aaron Judge (75.7 mph). It’s also a nice bump from his 73.2 mph in 2025 and from his 71.7 mph across his 10 seasons as a big leaguer.

“I have about three years at Driveline, and since then we’ve consistently moved in that direction with bat speed,” Rosario said in Spanish. “That was one of the key points that I wanted to improve. I also wanted to increase the launch angle on the swing.”

It’s been soaring, too, jumping from 4.6-degree angle in 2024 to 9.0 in 2025 to a career-best 11.5 this season.

Favorable analytics don’t always lead to positive results, but they have so far this season for Rosario.

“He’s had some huge games for us,” Stanton said. “Directly, he gave us some wins himself, so he’s been incredible and a nasty bat for us.”

He’s their biggest cheerleader, too. Whenever Rosario sees a teammate hit a homer, he’s always excitedly hopping over the dugout fence to offer congratulations before anyone else. He’s also been a mentor to young players, and not just fellow Latinos.

“Along my career, I’ve had a lot of people that were there for me, people with a lot of energy, with a lot of wisdom about the game,” Rosario said. “They shared that with me, so if I’m able to do that, why not do that? I enjoy it.”

Rosario enjoys playing a lot, too, but he says he’s not trying to convince the Yankees that he should be their starting third baseman.

He signed on thinking he’d be a part-time player again, and if that’s how it shakes out over the long haul, that’s fine by him.

“Yeah, I feel pretty good with the role that I have,” Rosario said. “To me, it’s being ready for the opportunity, getting an opportunity and trying to help the team at the end of the day. So I’m just preparing myself for those opportunities, and make sure they count.”

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.