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It was an eventful few days for the Yankees in Philadelphia, where Ben Rice competed in the Home Run Derby, Cody Bellinger won MVP of the All-Star Game and Cam Schlittler soaked it all in.
But those experiences are already in the past.
Now, the Yankees’ focus turns to the season’s second half, starting Friday night when they begin a litmus-test series against the two-time defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the Bronx.
The Yankees come out of the break with a 54-42 record and are three games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
“We’re in July. We’ve got a long way to go in this,” manager Aaron Boone said last weekend. “We’ve put ourselves in position to have a really special season. That’s all, to this point.”
Here are five biggest Yankees storylines going into the second half.
The Yankees are 18-19 without Judge, who hasn’t appeared in a game since May 31 due a right rib stress fracture.
Judge was set to undergo reimaging during the All-Star break, so an update on how well his injury is healing should be imminent.
The Yankees need good news there, as their offense has struggled for extended stretches — especially during a recent 1-9 slide — without Judge anchoring their lineup.
In early June, the Yankees said they expect Judge to return this season. Clarity on the three-time AL MVP’s status will help set expectations for the remainder of the season and could inform how aggressive the Yankees are at the trade deadline.
Teams are less than three weeks away from the Aug. 3 deadline, though that might be difficult to grasp given the lack of activity on the trade market thus far.
That’s a symptom of the expanded postseason field, as a whopping 23 teams currently hold or are within four games of a playoff spot.
Still, there will be sellers as the deadline grows closer, and the Yankees — who were extremely active before last year’s deadline — have multiple needs.
The biggest are at catcher, where Austin Wells is enduring a career-worst season, and in the bullpen, where the Yankees could use multiple high-leverage arms.
The catcher most frequently linked to the Yankees is Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, who is batting .292 with seven home runs and a .942 OPS in 39 games.
An impending free agent, Jeffers recently returned from a hamate bone fracture in his left hand. He bats right-handed, which would provide a platoon complement to the lefty-swinging Wells.
But if the Yankees could pry, say, Hunter Goodman — and his 27 home runs — from the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rockies, that would represent a much bigger swing.
Among the relievers who might become available are the Mets’ Luke Weaver and the Boston Red Sox’s Aroldis Chapman, though the latter’s tenure with the Yankees ended unceremoniously.
The Yankees have alternated between Anthony Volpe and José Caballero at shortstop all season.
Injuries throughout the rest of the roster have made the situation tenable at times, as the Yankees have needed to deploy Caballero’s versatility to fill other positions.
But the infield is healthy now, and once Judge returns, the Yankees won’t need Caballero much in the outfield.
That means they’ll have a decision to make at shortstop as they enter the stretch run.
With 10 home runs, a .698 OPS and 22 stolen bases, Caballero has the superior traditional stats, though the advanced metric wRC+ suggests he and Volpe (who has a career-best .342 on-base percentage) are about even offensively.
Defensive metrics are also split on the pair, as Volpe is better in terms of Outs Above Average (OAA) while Caballero has the edge in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS).
The wild card to watch for is 21-year-old top prospect George Lombard Jr., who is a stellar defender and has an .871 OPS across three minor-league levels this year. Lombard recently began a rehab assignment for sprained fingers on his throwing hand.
Judge isn’t the only important ailing Yankee.
Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are also on the injured list, and the Yankees likely need all of them to be healthy — and playing well — in order to make a run at the World Series.
Fried, out since mid-May due to a left elbow bone bruise, could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Friday. The left-hander finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting last year and has a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts this season.
Rodón was expected to continue throwing during the All-Star break as he works through the left elbow inflammation that landed him on the injured list earlier this month.
A playoff rotation of Schlittler, Fried, Gerrit Cole and Rodón would stack up against anyone’s, but the Yankees are yet to have that foursome available at the same time.
The timeline for Stanton to return, meanwhile, remains uncertain. The slugger hasn’t appeared in a game since April 24 due to a right calf strain, and he re-injured that calf while running last month.
The Yankees miss the right-handed bats of Judge and Stanton, who, in addition to their gaudy production, help balance a lefty-heavy lineup that includes Rice, Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Schlittler wasn’t selected to start the All-Star Game — AL manager John Schneider chose Dylan Cease, whom he manages in Toronto — but Schlitter appears to be the frontrunner for the league’s Cy Young Award.
The 25-year-old Schlittler’s 2.05 ERA is the best in the AL, as is his 0.94 WHIP. His 137 strikeouts and 118.2 innings both rank second in the league.
“It’s been great,” Schlittler said of his first half. “Job’s not finished, though. As much as the first half went very well, there’s still a second, full half, and I’ve got to make sure I keep my foot on the pedal.”
Competing for a World Series is much higher priority for the Yankees than any individual accolades. But if Schlittler pitches well enough in the second half to lock down the Cy Young, it would likely mean good things for the Yankees.
The last Yankee to win the award was Cole in 2023.
Continue reading...
But those experiences are already in the past.
Now, the Yankees’ focus turns to the season’s second half, starting Friday night when they begin a litmus-test series against the two-time defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the Bronx.
The Yankees come out of the break with a 54-42 record and are three games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
“We’re in July. We’ve got a long way to go in this,” manager Aaron Boone said last weekend. “We’ve put ourselves in position to have a really special season. That’s all, to this point.”
Here are five biggest Yankees storylines going into the second half.
JUDGE’S HEALTH
The Yankees are 18-19 without Judge, who hasn’t appeared in a game since May 31 due a right rib stress fracture.
Judge was set to undergo reimaging during the All-Star break, so an update on how well his injury is healing should be imminent.
The Yankees need good news there, as their offense has struggled for extended stretches — especially during a recent 1-9 slide — without Judge anchoring their lineup.
In early June, the Yankees said they expect Judge to return this season. Clarity on the three-time AL MVP’s status will help set expectations for the remainder of the season and could inform how aggressive the Yankees are at the trade deadline.
TRADE DEADLINE
Teams are less than three weeks away from the Aug. 3 deadline, though that might be difficult to grasp given the lack of activity on the trade market thus far.
That’s a symptom of the expanded postseason field, as a whopping 23 teams currently hold or are within four games of a playoff spot.
Still, there will be sellers as the deadline grows closer, and the Yankees — who were extremely active before last year’s deadline — have multiple needs.
The biggest are at catcher, where Austin Wells is enduring a career-worst season, and in the bullpen, where the Yankees could use multiple high-leverage arms.
The catcher most frequently linked to the Yankees is Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, who is batting .292 with seven home runs and a .942 OPS in 39 games.
An impending free agent, Jeffers recently returned from a hamate bone fracture in his left hand. He bats right-handed, which would provide a platoon complement to the lefty-swinging Wells.
But if the Yankees could pry, say, Hunter Goodman — and his 27 home runs — from the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rockies, that would represent a much bigger swing.
Among the relievers who might become available are the Mets’ Luke Weaver and the Boston Red Sox’s Aroldis Chapman, though the latter’s tenure with the Yankees ended unceremoniously.
SHORTSTOP SITUATION
The Yankees have alternated between Anthony Volpe and José Caballero at shortstop all season.
Injuries throughout the rest of the roster have made the situation tenable at times, as the Yankees have needed to deploy Caballero’s versatility to fill other positions.
But the infield is healthy now, and once Judge returns, the Yankees won’t need Caballero much in the outfield.
That means they’ll have a decision to make at shortstop as they enter the stretch run.
With 10 home runs, a .698 OPS and 22 stolen bases, Caballero has the superior traditional stats, though the advanced metric wRC+ suggests he and Volpe (who has a career-best .342 on-base percentage) are about even offensively.
Defensive metrics are also split on the pair, as Volpe is better in terms of Outs Above Average (OAA) while Caballero has the edge in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS).
The wild card to watch for is 21-year-old top prospect George Lombard Jr., who is a stellar defender and has an .871 OPS across three minor-league levels this year. Lombard recently began a rehab assignment for sprained fingers on his throwing hand.
OTHER INJURIES
Judge isn’t the only important ailing Yankee.
Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are also on the injured list, and the Yankees likely need all of them to be healthy — and playing well — in order to make a run at the World Series.
Fried, out since mid-May due to a left elbow bone bruise, could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Friday. The left-hander finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting last year and has a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts this season.
Rodón was expected to continue throwing during the All-Star break as he works through the left elbow inflammation that landed him on the injured list earlier this month.
A playoff rotation of Schlittler, Fried, Gerrit Cole and Rodón would stack up against anyone’s, but the Yankees are yet to have that foursome available at the same time.
The timeline for Stanton to return, meanwhile, remains uncertain. The slugger hasn’t appeared in a game since April 24 due to a right calf strain, and he re-injured that calf while running last month.
The Yankees miss the right-handed bats of Judge and Stanton, who, in addition to their gaudy production, help balance a lefty-heavy lineup that includes Rice, Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
CY YOUNG WATCH
Schlittler wasn’t selected to start the All-Star Game — AL manager John Schneider chose Dylan Cease, whom he manages in Toronto — but Schlitter appears to be the frontrunner for the league’s Cy Young Award.
The 25-year-old Schlittler’s 2.05 ERA is the best in the AL, as is his 0.94 WHIP. His 137 strikeouts and 118.2 innings both rank second in the league.
“It’s been great,” Schlittler said of his first half. “Job’s not finished, though. As much as the first half went very well, there’s still a second, full half, and I’ve got to make sure I keep my foot on the pedal.”
Competing for a World Series is much higher priority for the Yankees than any individual accolades. But if Schlittler pitches well enough in the second half to lock down the Cy Young, it would likely mean good things for the Yankees.
The last Yankee to win the award was Cole in 2023.
Continue reading...
