Yankees Scratch Cameron Maybin From Sunday Night's Lineup Against Dodgers

Facing an elite lefty in Clayton Kershaw seemed like an ideal opportunity for the Yankees to play matchups and start Cameron Maybin over lefty Mike Tauchman -- and the team thought so, too.

In the initial lineup released for Sunday's rubber game, Maybin was slotted in just ahead of Domingo German in the eighth spot. But just about an hour later, Maybin was replaced by Tauchman anyway, with no explanation initially given.

Later, Aaron Boone chose to address the discrepancy pregame, and it seems as if...he simply backtracked on the matchup?

Despite the fact that it wasn't addressed, you still have to wonder if Maybin's feeling discomfort in some capacity -- his non-competitive pinch-hit at-bat on Saturday was one of the rare times he's looked overmatched during this season, an exceptional comeback campaign in a Yankee uniform.

But when one savage is felled, another steps up, and Tauchman's been that antidote all year in various roles. No one expected him to be here, no one expected him to play Sunday night, and yet, he's provided stability time and again.

Ideally, New York's supreme hugging savage is back sooner rather than later. This simply seems procedural.