Aaron Boone Scoffs At Narrative After Yankees Land Andrew Benintendi

The Yankees’ lineup became all the more potent Wednesday night.

New York added more offensive firepower in the form of Andrew Benintendi, who Brian Cashman and company acquired from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for three prospects. Benintendi figures to provide a boost to a Yankees team that already boasted the shortest World Series odds among American League teams before the trade.

While New York probably didn’t need Benintendi, one could argue the club stood to benefit from a more balanced hitter. Upon joining the Bronx Bombers, the 2022 All-Star leads his new team in hits, batting average and OBP.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, however, doesn’t believe his team relies too heavily on power. Boone pushed back on that notion after New York brought in Benintendi.

“It’s fake news that we’ve got too many power hitters in the lineup, too many sluggers,” Boone told reporters, per MLB.com. “We’ve got savages in the lineup, really good hitters. Benintendi is a great hitter, gets on base at a really high clip, hits from the left side that gives you some balance. … I’ll be excited to write his name.”

MLB fans and media members trying to criticize the Yankees’ offense don’t have much ground to stand on. New York enters Thursday pacing the AL in OBP, OPS, slugging percentage and runs scored.