Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez returns to New York's lineup as the designated hitter on Thursday night when the team starts a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rodriguez fouled a ball off his right foot on Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins, forcing him to sit out the series finale on Wednesday.
Rodriguez has struggled through September with the Yankees locked in a tight division battle, posting just a .689 OPS and slugging just three home runs in 89 at-bats. New York is 1½ games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East with seven to play.
The Blue Jays will try to play spoiler with ace Brandon Morrow on the mound in the series opener. Morrow has struggled as of late, going 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in his last three starts.
Ivan Nova takes the hill for the Yankees. He is 12-7 with a 4.94 ERA on the year. He went just 2⅓ innings while giving up three runs in his last start against the A's.
First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET. Full lineups:
Yankees
1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Ichiro Suzuki RF
3. Alex Rodriguez DH
4. Robinson Cano 2B
5. Nick Swisher 1B
6. Curtis Granderson CF
7. Russell Martin C
8. Raul Ibanez LF
9. Jayson Nix 3B
Blue Jays
1. Brett Lawrie 3B
2. Colby Rasmus CF
3. Edwin Encarnacion DH
4. Yunel Escobar SS
5. Adam Lind 1B
6. J.P. Arencibia C
7. Kelly Johnson 2B
8. Moises Sierra RF
9. Anthony Gose LF