This performance drought is starting to feel like 2023 all over again.
In June 2023, they played 23 games and went 11-12 (.478); this past June, they played 27 games and went 13-14 (.481).
The Yankees are very nearly playing like they did in 2023, the worst season they’d had since the early 90s. The only move the Yankees made at the trade deadline was that they acquired reliever Keynan Middleton for minor league pitching prospect Juan Carela. Nearly a month later, Middleton went on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation and would be out the rest of the season. However, Middleton did have a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 IP with the Yankees, but he hasn’t been in the Majors since and is currently a free agent.
With Boone saying that Clarke Schmidt is “likely” headed for UCL repair surgery (Tommy John surgery), the Yankees are reportedly calling up RHP Cam Schlittler to fill Schmidt’s place in the rotation. It’s possibly the best the rotation has looked in a little while.
It may be fair to say that the rotation, like a lot of the team, is in a shambles currently. Carlos Rodón looked awful in his latest start versus the Mets on Saturday afternoon, throwing in 5 innings, but allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks, including 2 homers. The bullpen is a mess currently, especially with the team not having a reliable reliever, including Luke Weaver, who has not looked the same since returning from the IL.
More and more fans on social media are starting to sound alarm bells on how the coaching staff (namely manager Aaron Boone), the players (namely Aaron Judge) and the front office have been deafeningly quiet regarding the recent performances on the field.
At this point, ownership needs to make some kind of move to make a statement to fans. Otherwise, the perception amongst fans will be that the team is placating fans for a cash grab. Fans are tired of the same nonsense and poor performance put up by this team from the past few seasons. “It’s right in front of us” isn’t good enough anymore.
Hypothetically speaking, what kind of moves are practical?
It doesn’t make sense to change the outfield. Overall, they’ve been the best performers compared to the rest of the team.
The infield could use a refresh, however. Including Saturday’s home run, Anthony Volpe is hitting 5-for-30 (.167/.194/.300/.494) in the past 7 games. The Yankees aren’t going to move him or demote him. That logic amongst fans needs to be dismissed. If anything, he needs to be sat for a few games to regroup, and in his place, either Oswald Peraza can play or they can call up Jorbit Vivas.
Regarding 2B/3B, the Yankees should move Jazz Chisholm over to his natural position (and where he wants to play), and they should call up Jesús Rodríguez from AAA. 3B isn’t Rodríguez’s natural position; that’s behind the plate. However, Rodríguez can still move well for a catcher, and plays 3B decently. More importantly, he may provide an offensive impact to the team that desperately needs it.
With that, what happens with DJ LeMahieu? His offensive performance of late has been solid, hitting 26-for-83 (.313/.380/.386/.766) in the last 30 games, but has only recorded 9 RBI in that span. LeMahieu should become the DH temporarily, interspersing Giancarlo Stanton at times (pinch hitter, etc.), considering Stanton has not been performing very well since returning from the IL. In 49 at-bats, Stanton has only recorded 11 hits for a slash of .224/.333/.306/.639 with 7 RBI.
As noted earlier, Weaver has not performed the same since returning from the injured list on June 20. Since then, he has a 13.50 ERA, allowing 8 earned runs on 8 hits in 5.1 IP. In the last 3 games, Weaver has a 32.40 ERA (7 runs, 6 earned on 5 hits, including 3 HR, plus 1 walk). Some say he should go back on the IL because possibly he didn’t recover properly. Maybe that’s true that he hadn’t, but an IL stint may not resolve his issues, unless he truly isn’t 100% recovered.
Most importantly, either Boone needs to put his foot down and manage strictly or the Yankees need to make a change. The favorite seems to be Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Shelley Duncan, although Ausmus can probably “pinch hit” temporarily until they find someone externally.
Fans are calling for Brian Cashman to go, but things would likely have to be catastrophic for Cashman to be released from his contract, especially if he was retained after the 2023 season. At the very least, changes need to be made, and quickly. There’s still time to recover from this slide, but if they continue to be stagnant, the hole may be too significant to get out of, and we will indeed see another repeat of 2023.