The New York Yankees plan to roll out an unchanged starting lineup Tuesday night as they open a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium.
Manager Aaron Boone made the call to stick with the same group that produced eight runs in the previous contest, marking the first time in some stretch that the lineup card has stayed completely intact from one game to the next. That choice leaves outfielder Heliot Ramos on the bench for a second straight day after he also sat out Sunday.
Ramos joined the Yankees in a deal with the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 4 and has faced an uneven beginning to his time in pinstripes. In 16 games since the trade, he has taken 53 at-bats and posted a .113 batting average.
His other figures during that period show a .189 slugging percentage and a .418 on-base-plus-slugging mark. Ramos has crossed the plate once, collected six hits and driven in one run while failing to hit a home run with his new club.
Looking at the full 2026 season across both organizations, he is batting .240 with 82 hits, nine home runs, 35 runs batted in and 37 runs scored in 90 games.
The Yankees head into the Astros series with a 74-56 record, placing them 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East and for the best mark in the entire American League. New York closed out the weekend with a series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays before shifting focus to the visitors from Houston.
Once the three-game set against the Astros wraps up, the Yankees will welcome the Boston Red Sox for a four-game home series over the weekend. Boston currently sits 2.5 games behind New York in the standings.
Boone’s decision to keep the lineup steady reflects confidence in the group that delivered strong production in the most recent outing.
The full order for Tuesday lists Trent Grisham in center field, Ben Rice as the designated hitter, Luis García Jr. at first base, Cody Bellinger in left field, George Lombard Jr. at shortstop, Spencer Jones in right field, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base, Austin Wells behind the plate and José Caballero at third base, with Warren scheduled to start on the mound.
As posted by Underdog MLB: “Yankees 8/25 T. Grisham CF B. Rice DH L. García Jr. 1B C. Bellinger LF G. Lombard Jr. SS S. Jones RF J. Chisholm Jr. 2B A. Wells C J. Caballero 3B W. Warren SP.”
The choice to hold Ramos out again comes amid a challenging stretch for the 26-year-old, whose early numbers with the Yankees have yet to match the expectations that followed him from San Francisco.
Team officials and Boone have not publicly detailed every factor behind the benching, but the results from the prior lineup clearly played a role in keeping things status quo. With the division race remaining tight and important series on the horizon, the Yankees appear focused on riding the momentum of their recent offensive showing while evaluating Ramos’ role moving forward.
Warren takes the ball in the series opener as New York looks to chip away at the gap separating it from the Rays and maintain its edge over the Red Sox.
The Astros series offers an early test of whether the unchanged group can sustain the production that earned it another start.
