Brett Gardner earned a World Series ring before Gleyber Torres became a teenager. Over the past decade, the longest-tenured Yankee has played in 47 postseason games, registering 134 plate appearances.
This postseason, Gardner may not even get a chance to swing.
As the odd man out in an overcrowded outfield, Gardner is expected to be left out of the lineup for Wednesday’s AL wild-card game against the A’s, with Andrew McCutchen likely to start in left field.
Just one year ago, Gardner was batting leadoff in the wild-card win over the Twins, going 2-for-4, with a home run, walk and three runs.
“It’s obviously a little different, but the most important thing is just staying prepared and staying engaged, and not worrying too much about things that you can’t control,” Gardner said Tuesday. “You pull for your guys out there on the field, and I’ll just be ready, ready for whatever role they possibly could use me for. It’s all I can do.”
Gardner has done so much for so long, but the 35-year-old’s declining production and second-half struggles made Aaron Boone’s decision much easier than it could have been.
On July 10, Gardner was batting .260. When the season ended, he was hitting .236 — his worst full-season mark ever — after batting .209, with a .604 OPS following the All-Star break. Despite more postseason experience than any current Yankee, Gardner has hit just .215 in the playoffs.
Still, Gardner has been part of enough playoff games to know how unpredictable each game can be. In 2012, he watched Raul Ibanez come off the bench to deliver a pair of the biggest home runs in recent franchise history. Last year, he watched Chase Headley break a 1-for-18 slump with huge a pinch-hit single, helping the Yankees even the ALCS.
Gardner — who is 8-for-23 with five walks and three steals against the A’s this season — has seen enough to know he can make an impact without seeing his name in the starting lineup.
“This is a crazy game,” Gardner said. “One minute you can be sitting on the sidelines watching and the next minute you can be in the middle of the action. This time of year, it’s all about the team winning and us advancing. Whatever role I’m asked to help out with, I’m just happy to be here in the postseason, and hopefully we have four more weeks of baseball left.”
