These 5 players can help Yankees overcome slide
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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.
NEW YORK -- The Yankees are unmistakably deep into a June swoon, as could be plainly felt within the walls of their near-silent visiting clubhouse on Wednesday evening at Citi Field. They had just absorbed another lopsided defeat, taking a 12-2 loss to the Mets for their ninth loss in 12 games.
Aaron Judge stood in front of his locker, chest jutted out and head held high, stating with confidence that a Subway Series sweep was “just two games” on the schedule. It was a strong sales pitch from the captain, but as anyone who has experienced the Interleague rivalry since its inception in 1997 knows, it’s never just that -- not in this city.
That was clear a couple of doors down, in the manager’s office, where Aaron Boone dejectedly poked at a postgame salad, one that certainly would have tasted better if the final score had been in his team’s favor. Boone remarked that it has “been a crappy two weeks for us,” adding that the stretch has “shined a light on some things” that the Yankees must correct to escape their rough patch.
Let’s examine five players who must help the Yankees overcome this slide:
Torres was benched for Wednesday’s game after failing to run out a ground ball in the eighth inning on Tuesday, and Boone suggested that Torres may not play in Thursday’s series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto either. But with Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list until at least July, the Yankees sorely need Torres to provide a presence in the middle of the order, especially against left-handed pitching.
A prime example of the Yankees' struggles came in the top of the first inning on Tuesday, when they loaded the bases with none out against David Peterson. Torres struck out, as did Alex Verdugo (who has scuffled since a big night at Fenway Park last week) and J.D. Davis. Batting .215 overall but with two hits in his past 29 at-bats, Torres said, “I know I’m a guy that can do a better job right now,” adding that he needs to make adjustments in all aspects of his game.
“We have to work to get him rolling,” Boone said. “When he’s going like we’ve seen him go, he’s a really important piece to the lineup.”
Since returning from the injured list, LeMahieu has looked little like the machine-like force who has two batting titles on his trophy shelf. LeMahieu has managed just 13 hits -- none for extra bases -- in 73 at-bats, prompting the Yankees to look for small victories in his plate appearances -- a well-struck flyout on Tuesday, for example, that represented one of LeMahieu's better-stung balls in weeks.
“He hasn’t gotten the results that he wants, but he’s another guy that missed a lot of time early on and is working his way back,” Judge said. “He’s a big part of this team.”
Boone said that the Yankees must “exercise some patience” in waiting for LeMahieu to figure it out, and part of that is because of a lack of alternatives. Though Davis has experience at third base, LeMahieu is a better defender at the hot corner, an ugly error in Tuesday’s loss aside. Oswaldo Cabrera could see more reps at third base, but not if he is spelling Torres at second.
Trevino’s defensive shortcomings were exposed by the Red Sox on a miserable night at Fenway Park on June 16, when Boston set a franchise record with nine stolen bases. The Orioles swiped four bags on June 19 and the Mets stole a pair in one inning on Tuesday. Overall, 16 of the past 17 stolen-base attempts on Trevino have been successful.
Trevino, who isn't the owner of a particularly strong arm, owes his 2022 Platinum Glove to pitch framing and blocking, but steals represent a significant issue. One Red Sox player confirmed Boston was targeting Trevino, saying that while Marcus Stroman could have been quicker to home plate, Boston’s scouts believed that Trevino was nursing a sore shoulder. Boone and Trevino have both said that the catcher is healthy.
It has been a dream season for Gil, though it has been interrupted during his past two starts, prompting questions about the right-hander's growing innings total. Gil failed to make it out of the second inning on June 20, allowing seven runs to the Orioles, then he didn’t miss many bats while allowing five runs to the Mets on Wednesday.
Does he need a break -- perhaps a skipped start, or a second-half move to the bullpen?
Gil tossed only four innings in 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he is currently on pace to throw about 160 frames if he remains in the rotation. His career high is 108 2/3 innings, combined between various levels. Asked about that topic, Gil said he feels “very healthy” and “very strong.”
“He seems to be in a really good physical place,” Boone said. “He’s a young pitcher that hasn’t pitched for a couple of years. There’s bumps along the way. We want to talk about this innings thing and all that -- sure, that could become an issue. That’s a fair point. But I think [Wednesday] was more about being a little out of whack [mechanically].”
The Yankees debated keeping Cole in the Minors to build his pitch count past 75 offerings, but after an injury to Cody Poteet, the club decided that four innings of their ace would be better than anything else that could be found within the organization. Cole held the Orioles to two runs over four innings on June 19, but he was non-competitive against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing four homers.
Cole’s command was erratic in a 28-pitch first inning, so he sacrificed velocity, but he found he was unable to get pitches by hitters. Cole recorded no strikeouts in his four innings, marking just his second career start -- and his first as a Yankee -- without a strikeout. Cole said that he spent most of the start “trying to find the blend of intensity and command to put it where we want,” something he’ll get another chance to work on this weekend in Toronto.
“I’ve never been out there trying to throw my max effort for the entirety of the game,” Cole said. “It’s a little bit of give and take. The reality is, the give and take needs to get sharper.”