Overbay? Try Over There

"I'm playing where?"

Who's on first? Lyle Overbay. Not this time. Overbay has played 1,272 games at the not-so-hot corner in his 13 year Major League career. Tonight marks the beginning of an experiment to keep him in pinstripes.

With Mark Teixeira back at first base after he sat out nearly two months of the season with an injured wrist, there isn't a whole lot of room for a first baseman that has no big league experience at other positions. On top of that, Overbay is left-handed, so the other infield spots are out of the question. (Unless you're Don Mattingly and your team is in a situation where you need to play third base.)

In attempt to make Overbay more serviceable and therefore an asset to keep on the roster, Joe Girardi has him starting in right field tonight against the Cleveland Indians. Overbay has had a number of clutch hits this season and the current right fielder, Ichiro Suzuki, has slumped all season. While Ichiro is still a superb defender, Girardi is hoping to add some punch to a lineup that has scored one run or less in five of their last seven games. It's no coincidence the Yankees have won only one of those games, a 4-1 triumph in the middle game of the just completed three game series with Boston.

Overbay's .750 OPS is his highest since 2009, the last time the state of Washington native played in more than 100 games. (He's at 51 this season.) 21 of Overbay's 44 hits have been for extra bases. By comparison, only nine of Ichiro's 46 hits have been more than a single.

The Yankees are expected to send Brennan Boesch back to Scranton in order to activate Andy Pettitte for tonight's contest.