Yankees' Game 3 lineup again ignores the one obvious move that could boost their offense

Plenty of things went wrong for the New York Yankees over the first two games of this World Series, but if you're looking for a place to start, it has to be the offense. Sure, Aaron Boone's bullpen management has been ... less than ideal to say the least, but that wouldn't be nearly as salient of an issue if New York's high-priced lineup had been able to offer any cushion at all. Instead, the Yankees scored five runs across Games 1 and 2, going 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and leaving a whopping 17 men on base. Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton continue to do their thing, but everyone else has disappeared — most notably Aaron Judge, who can't stop striking out right now.

It's clear that something needs to change. And facing a must-win Game 3 and an 0-2 series deficit against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the time to make that change is now. But Boone apparently disagrees: If the Yankees are going to come back and win title No. 28, they're going to do it without changing a single thing.

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Yankees keep Jasson Dominguez chained to the bench in World Series Game 3

Boone's Game 3 lineup is more or less exactly the same as Games 1 and 2, the only difference being Jose Trevino swapping in at catcher for the struggling (at the plate at least) Austin Wells. Judge remains in the third spot, between Soto and Stanton. But the most glaring choice comes down at the bottom of the lineup.

For the 12th time in 12 games this October, Alex Verdugo draws the start in left field for the Yankees. And how has he rewarded that unwavering faith? A .184/.262/.237 slash line with just two extra-base hits, along with some uneven defense in the outfield. He swings at just about everything, and he seemingly hasn't made hard contact in weeks; it's as though the Yankees are choosing to concede an out — and a chance to put a runner on ahead of Gleyber Torres, Soto and Judge — simply because they're too afraid to swing for the fences.

If Verdugo were the Yankees' only viable option, that would be one thing. But former top prospect Jasson Dominguez was included on the team's World Series roster, presumably because the team thought he could help them at some point in this series. That time would seem to be now, facing a right-handed pitcher in L.A.'s Walker Buehler and in desperate need of an offensive spark. Dominguez struggled at the plate in September, but he's far likelier to put a charge into one than Verdugo is right now, and all the appeals to veteran steadiness go out the window when you consider how unsteady Verdugo has been doing the little things in these playoffs. Now is exactly the time to throw caution to the wind, but Boone insists on putting his team's season at risk by playing it safe.