On May 28th, the Yankees defeated the Angels 1-0 in Anaheim to improve their record to 35-20 and balloon their lead in the American League East to seven games. Even after Sunday’s win in Queens against the Mets, the Yankees lost the series to their crosstown rivals and now find themselves three games behind in the AL East. The Yankees once looked like one of the most complete teams in baseball. Now, with the All-Star break looming, they’re limping into July. Plagued by inconsistent offense, alarming bullpen blowups, and major injuries, the collapse feels all too familiar for a franchise that has made a habit of peaking early and stumbling late in recent years. This time, the unraveling feels more alarming, mainly because it draws similarities to the disappointing 2023 team, the team that missed the playoffs for the first time in 6 years. The answers aren’t as simple as blaming a cold streak. So, what exactly has gone wrong?
Offensive Inconsistencies: As of July 6th, the Yankees remain tied with the Dodgers atop all of MLB in terms of WRC+1, with a mark of 121. However, in the 27 games in the month of June, the Yankees scored four or fewer runs in 17 of them. With how expected stats are valued in today’s game, the case can be made that at times the Yankees were unlucky. In July’s five games so far, the Yankees’ bats have seemingly woken up, with players like Jazz Chisholm, Jasson Dominguez, and Cody Bellinger finding their swing. Still, even when the Yankees were hitting well overall, the bottom line has been that their struggles in high-leverage spots is a glaring reason why they find themselves in this rut. The Yankees currently find themselves at 19th in total performance with runners in scoring position according to Baseball Reference. Throughout June, the Yankees hovered in the range of a .140-.170 batting average as a team with runners in scoring position. On-base and slugging percentage numbers cratered too, to the mid-.200s and sub-.300 respectively. These issues magnified in key games: On June 23rd in Cincinnati, the Yankees went 0-for-12 with RISP, and in the 3-game set in Boston from June 13-15, the Yankees managed just 5 runners into scoring position, going 0-for-5 in those chances. Perhaps, the most frustrating example of these missed opportunities is Anthony Volpe, who entered July hitting just .152 with runners in scoring position, a significant drop-off for the shortstop that once looked to be a spark in the back end of the order. His 3‑for‑29 painfully ineffective slump with RISP (.103) is symbolic of a lineup that continually squandered key opportunities. These are the moments where games are won and lost, and where the Yankees have repeatedly come up short.
Bullpen Blunders: Similar to the bats, the Yankee bullpen tends to be one of their biggest strengths. Up until the aforementioned May 28th win in Anaheim, the Yankees had a top 5 bullpen ERA in all of baseball at 3.25. Since, the Yankee bullpen has imploded. As of Monday, the Yankee bullpen ERA has soared all the way above 4, and they are bottom-third of MLB in bullpen WAR2. Yankee manager Aaron Boone recently put himself in the crosshairs of blame regarding the bullpen:
“Some of those guys have been leaned on heavily. It’s on me, I got to do a better job of getting those guys in positions where they can be successful.”
There’s plenty of evidence to back this up. In the past 3 weeks, Boone has used lefty Tim Hill in 7 games, Mark Leiter Jr. and Luke Weaver in 6 games, and Ian Hamilton and Jonathan Loáisiga in 5. While Hill and Hamilton have mostly delivered in their chances, the other 3 mentioned have been unsatisfactory to say the least. The usually sure-fire Luke Weaver has a 11.57 ERA in his last 6 games, Mark Leiter has a mark of 10.38, and Jonathan Loáisiga’s mark isn’t much better, at 7.20. It’s not just the ERAs as well, each of those 3 have recorded a blown save in the past 3 weeks. Even the less played players, like Devin Williams, have had blowup outings. In the third game in Toronto, the Yankees stormed back after being down 8-0, and tied the game 9-9, just for Devin Williams to uncork a wild pitch to give the Jays the lead, and allow another run to assist a 11-9 loss. While injuries leading to numerous new faces in the pen haven’t helped, the guys underperforming are ones the Yankees had high hopes for due to past success. In order for the Yankees to finish games and get wins, the bullpen needs to be sharper going forward.
Crowded Injured List: Just as the Yankees’ performance began to dip, the injury report grew. What was once a deep and balanced roster has turned into a weekly patching of wounds, specifically in the pitching staff. The Yankees have lost the following to injury:
- RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 15-Day IL (Elbow), 1.80 ERA in 14 games
- RHP Fernando Cruz: 15-Day IL (Oblique), 3.00 ERA in 32 games, 54 K
- LHP Ryan Yarborough: 15-Day IL (Oblique), 3.90 ERA in 16 games
All three were key arms leading up and into the Yankees’ slump, but no loss is looking as large as that of starter Clarke Schmidt. The former No.2 prospect in the organization looked like he was finally sustaining a full-season breakout campaign. In 14 starts, Schmidt pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, striking out 73 and walking 30. The Yankees won 7 of his starts, and Schmidt was extremely valuable in the middle of the rotation in the absence of both Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole. Schmidt was even 2 starts removed from 7 no-hit innings in his outing against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium when he was removed from his start in Toronto early. The initial word was that Schmidt had tightness in his forearm. After a closer look, Aaron Boone said Saturday that Schmidt will likely need Tommy John surgery, which will end his season this year and sideline him for much of 2026 as well. This is a devastating blow to the already depleted Yankee rotation. The Yankees are acting quickly on this tough news by calling up one of their top pitching prospects, the tall 24-year old righty, Cam Schlittler. While Schlittler may offer promise, the reality is the Yankees are now scrambling to fill rotation innings at a time of uncertainty. Injuries are nothing new to the club, but the timing paired with offensive struggles and bullpen regression, has turned a once-dominant squad into one that suddenly looks alarmingly thin. This makes the trade deadline so much more important for GM Brian Cashman, as he has another position that must be strengthened to produce a playoff ball club. For now, with the All-Star break approaching, the Yankees aren’t just looking to get healthy, but to stop the bleeding.
The Yankees’ slide out of first place hasn’t been the result of one issue; it’s been a convergence of many. A potent offense, on paper, has repeatedly squandered its big moments. A once-reliable bullpen has unraveled at the worst time. A growing injured list has stripped key arms just when stability was needed most. Add it all up, and what was once a seven-game lead atop the AL East has vanished. In terms of how to right the ship, the Yankees need to be extremely active in the next month as one of the most important trade deadlines in a long time approaches. It has already been reported that the team has checked in on Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, but there is so much work to be done. The Yankees remain an extremely talented team, and if the Yankees can get help from starting pitcher and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil returning, they can get a boost to their laboring staff. However, the road back won’t be forgiving. The Yankees still have two series left against the first-place Blue Jays, plus upcoming home matchups against playoff-caliber opponents like the Phillies, Astros, and Tigers. The All-Star break may offer a brief pause, but it won’t fix the issues overnight. If the Yankees want to avoid another second-half spiral and get to October they’ll need to get healthy, get timely, and make some moves fast.
The Yankee Office 
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