NEW YORK -- Hal Steinbrenner said that he is aware of the fan frustration being voiced in various arenas, and while he was “not happy at all” about the club being swept in a three-game series by the Red Sox over the weekend, the Yankees managing general partner continues to believe that brighter days are ahead.

Steinbrenner addressed a variety of topics during an appearance on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN 98.7 FM on Wednesday, including his understanding of how Yankees fans view this year’s club. New York snapped a four-game skid on Tuesday, opening play Wednesday with a 40-33 record, 10 games behind the American League East-leading Rays.

“I want to know what the vibe is out there, and I understand they’re upset,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m a little confused this year, being the third week in June, why they’re so upset. But they’re upset, and that’s going to get my attention, of course. Everybody just needs to know that we’re working hard on all fronts to get this back on the rails and start playing the way we were for a couple of weeks there in May.”

Steinbrenner said that player health will be a key factor in improving the club’s play; they are 5-8 since Aaron Judge injured his right big toe making a June 3 catch at Dodger Stadium.

Kay, plus co-hosts Don LaGreca and Peter Rosenberg, pointed out that a significant source of fan frustration stems from the Yankees’ ongoing World Series drought. The Bombers have not played in a World Series since 2009, yet key figures like general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone have received contract extensions.

“[The mission statement] has not been adjusted. Our goal every year is to win a championship,” Steinbrenner said. “I’ve been through this before with numerous people. Do I feel that the whole season is a failure when we don’t? No, I don’t. Because I’m not going to ignore when we win X amount of games and win a division, or win [an AL] Division Series. I’m not going to ignore that.

“But we have failed for many years to win a championship, and that is our ultimate goal. I went through this a lot in the offseason; I talked to a lot of you guys. And for all the reasons that I stated, I believe that Boone is a good manager and I believe that Cashman is a good general manager. … My family puts the resources in we can every year, and we strive to field a championship-caliber team. Sooner or later, that’s going to result in a championship.”

The Yankees have the second-highest payroll in baseball, much of which is allocated to players who are currently either injured or relatively unproductive: Judge ($40 million), Giancarlo Stanton ($32 million), Carlos Rodón ($22.8 million), Josh Donaldson ($21 million), Anthony Rizzo ($17 million), DJ LeMahieu ($15 million), and Luis Severino ($15 million).

“Every single year, we are among the very top payrolls in baseball,” Steinbrenner said. “So if I just cared about fielding a competitive team, I wouldn’t have gone out and signed Rodón. I would have signed Judge, and we’re done. I felt we needed another No. 1, No. 2 starter to put in that rotation to win in the postseason. That’s why we went and spent a lot of money on Carlos. He’s going to be great.”

Steinbrenner added that, while the Yankees have the highest revenues in baseball:

“Our expenses are among the highest in baseball -- we operate in the most expensive city to operate in the country. Unlike other cities where the city or the county pays for about two-thirds of the stadium, we pay for 100 percent of our stadium every year. We have a huge bond payment Feb. 1, whether or not we have any revenues or not, even during COVID.

“We put as much into player development and scouting as anybody out there. It’s great to talk about our revenues, but then you’ve got to talk about the expenses. We have significant expenses, believe me, our payroll being the biggest.”

Asked specifically about the job security of hitting coach Dillon Lawson, Steinbrenner said that “nobody’s on the hot seat right now.”

“Let’s get through the season; let’s see what happens,” Steinbrenner said. “There’s no way that Stanton and Rizzo aren’t going to start hitting, and the others as well, I’m sure. We continue to get contributions from guys like [Jake] Bauers, who has been a pleasant surprise. I think we’re going to be fine. I believe we’re going to be fine.

“People can call me delusional for saying that, but these guys are just too good. I saw what we could be those two weeks or so in May, when Judge came back from that first [hip] injury. I saw what we can be. We can be a force.”