The Yankees are with the Red Sox tied for last place in the American League East. That’s not a sentence any rational baseball fan predicted to read. But after an abysmal 15-2 loss to Texas on Sunday, the Yankees are limping into May with a 15-14 record.
“Tough league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “Adversity’s coming for us. We know it, and we will get through it. But no one’s going to feel sorry for us.”
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For the first time since 2016, the Yankees find themselves in last place in the AL East at the end of April. The offense has been mostly dreadful. They’re 25th in average, 24th in OPS and 21st in runs scored. Aaron Judge is banged up and dealing with a minor hip strain but the offense was still bad even with him in the lineup. There are no clear fixes coming, either. Harrison Bader is close to his return but he’s been a slightly below-average hitter in his career. The Yankees can’t count on Josh Donaldson to produce when he’s back. Giancarlo Stanton is still weeks away. This is what the Yankees have to roll with. They just have to figure it out.
The pitching staff, outside of Gerrit Cole, hasn’t been much better. Nestor Cortes has been the Yankees’ second-best pitcher but he’s sporting a 4.91 ERA and hasn’t looked crisp as of late. Luis Severino is expected to start his rehab assignment this week. Carlos Rodón is still weeks away from making his Yankees debut.
Things are not pretty for the Yankees right now, and they’ve got a brutal first week of May coming up with a home series against pesky Cleveland and a road series at Tampa Bay, the best team in baseball. It could get uglier for New York before it turns around.
With April over, here’s what we learned about the Yankees through the first month of the regular season:
My biggest takeaway …
The Yankees can’t stay healthy and they don’t seem to know why. Going into Sunday, the Yankees had 12 injured list stints this season, the second-most in the majors behind the Mets (14). And there’s still a chance that Aaron Judge and Jake Bauers each could wind up on the IL. You could argue that Judge’s hip issue was a freak injury. He did, after all, nearly scorpion while trying to slide headfirst into third base vs. the Twins on Wednesday. That was weird. But he was allowed to play the next day, despite feeling like his whole right side has “locked up” when he woke up that morning. Did Judge not tell the training staff immediately? Did they not ask? Did they let him play anyway? All fair questions to ask.
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This is a team built on best-case scenarios, and as far as health, it’s been almost all worst-case. They still haven’t gotten a single inning out of $167 million investment Carlos Rodón (forearm, back), Luis Severino (lat), Harrison Bader (oblique) or Lou Trivino (elbow). Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) took his yearly trip to the injured list early this time. Josh Donaldson tried to return too soon from his hamstring strain and set himself back. The Yankees overhauled the training staff in 2020, installing Eric Cressey at the top, and the overall health has hardly improved — if at all. If they have answers, they haven’t divulged them.
“We’re deep diving in it as much as we can and feel like we have the best people in charge and in control,” Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday night. “Some of the things have been freak things, but it’s not for lack of us being totally sold out for having the best medical care and keeping guys healthy as best we can.” — Kuty
Along those same lines, the Yankees’ position player depth is quite poor. Eight hitters with at least 30 at-bats have a 75 wRC+ or worse. The Yankees’ 5-9 hitters had a combined .197 average entering Sunday’s game. The Yankees’ outfielders had a combined .200 batting average — dead last in MLB. They’re also second-to-last in OPS. This team employs Aaron Judge! That should be near impossible.
Boone is frequently having to play below-average hitters because there are simply no better options available to him. Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, Willie Calhoun, Franchy Cordero and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have all been brutal at the plate. With Stanton out, Boone is frequently having to play at least two of these players every game. The Yankees called up Triple A outfielder Jake Bauers to potentially be a spark but he injured his knee after making a terrific catch in the first inning of his debut. For a team that has spent nearly $300 million in payroll, it should not be forced to resort to options like Bauers.
It’s a sign that roster construction is a problem that will have to be addressed. — Kirschner
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I was surprised that …
DJ LeMahieu has been able to handle a heavy workload considering last season’s toe injury. Going into Sunday, he had played in 24 of the Yankees’ 28 games, and he’s been productive with a .776 OPS (despite a 1-for-16 skid). Around the All-Star break last season, the Yankees revealed LeMahieu was dealing with a right toe problem that sapped him of his ability to hit the ball hard and forced the Yankees to leave him off their postseason roster. He didn’t have offseason surgery after three different doctors recommended three different procedures, instead opting to rehab the toe. Now? It’s worked out. LeMahieu has once again shown he can be one of the more dangerous hitters in the AL, and he’s played first base, second base and third base, all at above-average levels. — Kuty
Clarke Schmidt hasn’t been able to make the most of his opportunity in the starting rotation. All spring, the Yankees were encouraged by Schmidt’s development and believed this would be a breakout year. Schmidt’s problem entering this year was getting left-handed hitters out, so he started using a cutter to attack the inside corner. Boone said he believed it was a “real” pitch for Schmidt. It is real in the fact it’s something that does exist. But it’s not real in how Boone was describing it. Opposing hitters have a .458 average and four home runs against his cutter. Lefties are hitting .396 with five home runs against Schmidt. When Rodón and Severino return, Schmidt likely won’t have a place in the starting rotation anymore. — Kirschner
I’m looking forward to …
Watching Jasson Domínguez get a handle on Double-A pitching. In spring training, Dominguez had Yankees fans clamoring for him to be called up and start in left field, thanks to a nice display of power and athleticism. Of course, that was never going to happen. He was just 20 years old and he had barely played above A ball. But Dominguez has turned heads since early 2022. “In all the years I’ve been around,” vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a young athlete make so many positive strides — on the offensive side, especially. His approach. His swing mechanics. His calmness in the box.” The Yankees have been aggressive with their promotions of Domínguez, who has figured it out at every level. Expect him to get hot at Somerset sooner than later. He went into Sunday hitting just .140 in 17 games. — Kuty
Continue watching Anthony Volpe get more comfortable at the plate. Yes, the overall numbers are not where he or the Yankees want them to be but you can see signs of him starting to figure it out. Entering Sunday’s game, Volpe’s on-base percentage was .393 and his OPS was .793. That’ll play. His 16 walks were one behind 10th place across all of baseball. He’s already shown that he’s a tough at-bat. That bodes well for his future when he gains more experience and develops his own scouting reports on opposing pitchers. From what I’ve seen, nothing looks alarming with Volpe’s process. He doesn’t look overmatched at the plate. He doesn’t chase outside of the zone at concerning levels. He’s going to be fine. — Kirschner
I’m skeptical of …
How Aaron Hicks fits the rest of the way. Make no mistake: This has been a problem since the Yankees benched him last season in favor of Oswaldo Cabrera. Boone has seemed reluctant to play him, and it’s understandable. As of Sunday morning, Hicks’ ground-ball rate was at 60.7 percent — by far the highest of his career. His line-drive rate was at 7.1 percent — league average was 22.6 percent. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, last year’s starting shortstop, has gotten key pinch-hit opportunities and some starts in center field over Hicks. Sure, Hicks is owed $30.5 million over the next three seasons (including this one). But he hasn’t shown many signs that he’s going to turn back the clock. The Yankees might have to eat that money sooner rather than later. — Kuty
Oswaldo Cabrera’s approach at the plate. Cabrera was one of the most fun stories last season when he got called up. His personality is infectious and he’s such an easy person for fans to root for. But the results are what matter on this level, and Cabrera’s have not been pretty. Entering Sunday, Cabrera had a 48 percent ground ball rate — more than 13 percentage points higher than the league average. His line-drive rate is seven percentage points lower than the league average. His chase rate is eight percentage points higher than average. He had just three walks in 87 appearances before Sunday. His on-base percentage was a paltry .233 and his slugging is also under .300. Cabrera has had some big hits for the Yankees this season but, on the whole, it’s been a struggle. Unlike Volpe, Cabrera’s deeper numbers suggest a change in approach is needed. — Kirschner
I found this nugget interesting …
In the offseason, Gleyber Torres went to Venezuela to play in the winter league there. But it was more than just a tune-up for the World Baseball Classic in March. Torres, 26, wanted to play in front of family and friends who have never seen him play live as a professional. He signed with the Cubs as an international free agent at age 16. Torres said the experience was invaluable — and that it helped him calm down. He treated those games as if he was just there to have fun (while working on some mechanics at the plate), and he said that mindset was so refreshing for him that he wanted to bring it into this season. It’s paid off. Going into Sunday, he had a 124 OPS+ — Kuty
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Gerrit Cole credits a lot of his success this season to having a more normal workflow for the first time since he’s become a Yankee. In 2020, the season was disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, there were still many restrictions in place because of the pandemic. Last year, spring training was condensed due to the lockout. This year was the first time things were “normal” for Cole and everyone else. Cole has made multiple comments this season about how comfortable he now feels being a Yankee. So far, that comfort has resulted in him being one of the best pitchers in MLB through the first month of the season. — Kirschner
I’ve had the most fun …
Catching a glimpse of the Yankees’ new “War Room.” No, I haven’t been inside. But it’s right outside the Yankees’ clubhouse, and the Yankees use it for team meetings. In the past, hitters would gather around near the indoor batting cage area and pitchers would find a quiet place somewhere around the clubhouse. Now, they have a dedicated spot filled with chairs, tables, chargers for their iPads, a projection screen and a lectern for their coaches to hold court. The “War Room” title is a bit silly, but it’s sports. … Learning the backstory to Franchy Cordero’s unique first name was interesting. Franchy’s father is named Frank, but everyone calls him Frankie, and his parents wanted to name him something like that. So, they settled on Franchy. I’d never met anyone named Franchy before. Side note: Franchy’s dad grew up loving baseball and encouraged his son to play at every chance he could. Time well spent. — Kuty
I’ve always wanted to travel to all 30 ballparks. I now have a job that pays me to achieve this goal. I’m now at 15. I went to Camden Yards and Target Field in April, and both are spectacular. Camden Yards is one of my favorite sporting venues I’ve been to. I have zero complaints about it. The food options are great. The sight lines are perfect. The atmosphere beyond right field with the warehouse backdrop combined with the crowd on Eutaw Street is unmatched. If you live in the northeast, make your way to Camden Yards if you have not been before. It’s one of those stadiums you must see. Target Field is just beautifully made. The interior and exterior are both aesthetically pleasing. The only complaint I have is they should have a retractable roof. It was quite cold. I’m looking forward to crossing off T-Mobile Park, Dodger Stadium and Coors Field later this year. — Kirschner
(Top photo of Gleyber Torres: Dan Hamilton / USA Today)