Yankees Release Opening Day Lineup Ahead of Matchup Against Brewers

The New York Yankees have dropped their first lineup of the year ahead of their Thursday afternoon Opening Day matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.

With Carlos Rodon on the bump, the Yankees are going to try to get off to a strong start as they get the campaign underway and pursue a return to the World Series coming off the disappointment of losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's early, but the games in March count just as much in the standings as the ones in late September. This could be a tough road for New York while weathering the storm of numerous injuries to their most important players.

New York Yankees Opening Day Lineup

1. Austin Wells, C
2. Aaron Judge, RF
3. Cody Bellinger, LF
4. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
6. Jasson Dominguez, LF
7. Anthony Volpe, SS
8. Ben Rice, DH
9. Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B
SP: Carlos Rodon

There are no major surprises with the lineup as everyone who was expected to be in it is there.

Austin Wells leading off -- while not a shock given previous reporting -- is noteworthy in itself as he becomes the first catcher in the long history of the franchise to hit leadoff.

Ben Rice is likely to hold down the designated hitter role for the majority of the time Giancarlo Stanton is out, with a combination of J.C. Escarra and Trent Grisham potentially factoring in as well depending on the lineup on that particular day.

The Yankees will kick their season off on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.