Can second half bring the return of 'Yankees DNA'?

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

What we learned in the first half

As remarkable as last season was, we might have somehow underestimated Aaron Judge’s impact on the Yankees. How else to explain the near-immediate cratering of the Bombers’ offense?

The Yankees have posted the lowest batting average (.218), the lowest on-base percentage (.288) and the third-fewest runs (117) in MLB after Judge crashed into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium on June 3, prompting the dismissal of hitting coach Dillon Lawson on July 9.

As general manager Brian Cashman said, nothing they’ve seen this year has resembled “Yankees DNA.” There’s time to turn it around, but it needs to start now.

Likely Trade Deadline strategy

Derek Jeter created some All-Star break waves when he suggested that he’d like to see the Yankees pursue the Padres’ Juan Soto, and there’s always the fantasy of fitting Shohei Ohtani for pinstripes.

A little more realistic would be a deal for the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, who piqued some interest by slugging a ball into the second deck at Yankee Stadium last week.

Look for the Yanks to seek a reliever or two as they try to gain ground on a postseason spot. Cashman is not tempted to execute a 2016-style selloff, not with key players such as Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and (hopefully) Judge filtering back into the clubhouse.

Key player: Gerrit Cole

We could make a case here for Judge, since it’s difficult to imagine the Yankees contending for a championship unless he returns and performs near an MVP level, but let’s focus on the team’s other All-Star representative.

Cole was 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA in the first half, earning starting honors in the Midsummer Classic for the American League, and has been a true ace in every sense of the word. If the Yanks are in a postseason series, this is the guy they want on the mound for Game 1.

Prospect to watch: Austin Wells

Wells has been in the news the past few weeks for sharing some much-discussed chicken parm with resurgent rookie Anthony Volpe, but he’s so much more than a pleasant dinner companion.

The Yankees’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Wells missed all of Spring Training with a fractured rib, but he’s been back on the field and slugging at Double-A Somerset. Don’t rule out the 23-year-old getting a taste of the Majors this year.