At this point, the New York Yankees will make the postseason barring a disaster. Of course, there is still a little over a month left of the regular season, and games need to be played, but the Bombers seem October-bound.
It’s never early to start imagining what could happen once the Yankees take the field in the playoffs, and it’s always fun. Fans surely picture Aaron Judge hitting a two-run shot with Juan Soto on base, or Gerrit Cole tossing seven shutout frames.
Just as there are stars that fans would love to see in October, Yankees supporters have a black list of players they don’t want near a baseball field come that time. Here are three of them:
3 Yankees who shouldn’t be getting considerable playing time in October
Alex Verdugo
Kudos to Verdugo for showing signs of turning things around his season, hitting .320/.370/.440 in his last seven games. But the fact remains that he has been a mediocre hitter for months, not weeks.
For the season as a whole, the left fielder is batting a subpar .234 with a .655 OPS and 11 home runs in 488 at-bats.
The Yankees have Jasson Dominguez catching fire in Triple-A, and he should eventually makes his way to the Bronx, potentially this weekend with the roster expansion.
Should the Yankees give more at-bats to the “Martian” and fewer to Verdugo? The answer is yes, and especially in the playoffs.
Jose Trevino
This is no knock on Trevino, who has been an amazing Yankee all things considered. He has been solid with the bat and stellar as always behind the plate.
However, in the playoffs, the Yankees will definitely need Austin Wells’ offense.
The rookie is sporting a rock-solid .767 OPS and 10 home runs in limited time. That, for a catcher, is amazing production.
Wells is no Trevino as a catcher, but the Yankees will need his offense in the tough postseason environment.
DJ LeMahieu
LeMahieu was a fantastic Yankee in the start of his tenure with the squad, with a pair of elite seasons in 2019 and 2020. He has been a below-average batter after that, though, but the situation has become unsustainable in 2024.
In the current campaign, the infielder is boasting a paltry 51 wRC+ in 225 trips to the plate.
There is a chance the Yankees designate LeMahieu for assignment eventually, but even if they don’t, he shouldn’t be near the field in the postseason.
