The designated hitter has been a part of baseball history for almost 50 years, yet its place in the hearts of fans is still complicated. The position has evolved over the years, even being included in the National League for the first time in 2020. Mostly gone are the days of DH titans like Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Hideki Matsui – the position is now mainly used as a way to provide banged-up players with a “half day off” or to rotate multiple players in the lineup during a week.
However, the Yankees may be best served by using the designated hitter as it was originally intended.