If there’s anything synonymous with the Yankees going on a losing streak, it is manager Aaron Boone repeating the same mantra until they eventually climb out of the abyss. The Yankees sit 1.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East, with Boone relentlessly using his cliché line: “It’s right in front of us.”
Yankees’ Struggles Continue Amidst Managerial Repetition
After Wednesday’s 12–3 blowout loss to the New York Mets, Boone reiterated his usual remarks, showing some anger but ultimately just uttering words without displaying changed actions on the diamond.
“We gotta play better, okay? We have it right in front of us. We’re a really good team that has played poorly of late. We need to be better.”
To be fair, there’s not much more that Boone can say to help turn this team around. It has to come from the players, and several talented veterans are dramatically underperforming.
Player Performances and Underwhelming Results
Gleyber Torres is starting to show improvement, hitting .232/.308/.363 this season, with a 94 wRC+. A few more positive games may elevate him to an average hitter, but that doesn’t erase the unbelievable drop-off from Alex Verdugo.
Verdugo has seen his wRC+ drop to 86, indicating he’s 14% worse than an average hitter, the worst in his career. He has a .228 BA and .286 OBP, also career lows. This is not the version of Verdugo the Yankees acquired from Boston. The bright lights of New York may be overshadowing his qualities.
Veteran Contributions Lacking
Ultimately, the Yankees are getting next to no value from veterans who are supposed to be key components. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are MVP-caliber talents, but they can’t win baseball games alone. When Gerrit Cole is giving up six earned runs to the Mets, there’s simply not much one can do.
Not to mention, the Yankees’ bullpen has not only been volatile at times but has relied on several underperforming arms like Caleb Ferguson, who has a 5.46 ERA this season. Ferguson gave up two earned runs in less than an inning.
Urgent Needs and Potential Moves
General Manager Brian Cashman needs to act decisively, bringing in some above-average bats and reinforcing the bullpen with a quality arm. Acquiring a player like Tanner Scott from the Miami Marlins would significantly bolster their relief options, especially since he’s in a contract year.
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However, this Yankees team needs substantial help, and even if Cashman executes three solid moves, it may not be enough to position this team to win a championship. The overall roster construction has been subpar, and the regression of several key players has been difficult to watch. The path forward requires everyone to click simultaneously, and while there is plenty of baseball left to play, nothing during the first half of the season has provided any sense of optimism for a turnaround.