The New York Yankees will likely bat Gary Sanchez second to begin the season.

Joe Girardi said Tuesday that he was leaning towards having Brett Gardner bat leadoff, followed by Sanchez, Greg Bird, Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury. The club wants to break up the left-handed-hitting Gardner and Ellsbury.

"It makes it harder to navigate through our lineup," Girardi said. "We feel like it's a better situation for all of us. This could very well be similar to our Opening Day lineup."

Sanchez hit 20 homers in 53 games last season after being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in early August.