
The New York Yankees are currently sliding down the standings in the American League. They have been leapfrogged in the AL East’s second place by the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles are getting closer and closer.
Right now, the New York Yankees are in danger of missing the playoffs with less than half the season remaining. Nobody expected this scenario to present itself, but it is what it is. They need their bats to get going and their pitchers to get healthy and perform.
One of the Yankees’ struggling stars is Gary Sanchez. After wearing the dreaded “golden sombrero” (four strikeouts in a game) on Saturday, manager Aaron Boone decided to sit him for Sunday’s tilt.
“I just feel like this is the way I need to go right now. Hopefully a day off or two, or however I decide to do it here, can help get him going. It’s on all of us to get around him and try to help him get to what we know he can be,” Boone said, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
The Yankees need him to get going
Sanchez is batting .130 for the season, with more homers (seven) than singles (five.) However, what stands out the most is the 48 strikeouts in 100 at-bats, an alarming rate that doesn’t bode well for the future.
“I think it’s a tough year right now for everybody,” said Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery. “It’s a weird year. He’s slumping a little bit and you don’t have as much time to get through it as you normally would.”
Sanchez is certainly committed to improving his game. He stated recently that he has been working on his timing in high-velocity machines under the tutelage of hitting coach Marcus Thames and P.J. Pilittere.
“Gary wants to play, and to his credit, behind the scenes he’s working his tail off,” Boone said. “He wants to be in there, but in the end, I think this is the best thing right now.”