June 27th, 2024: Torres, Cole, Pitching Staff, Judge, Mailbag

You gotta hand it to the 2024 Yankees. They’ve managed to (temporarily, I hope) suck the fun out of baseball despite having Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. I didn’t think such a thing was possible. Gleyber Torres is all of us watching this team right now:

Extremely relatable. Let he who has not made that exact face at work cast the first stone. The Yankees are 1-6 in their last seven games and they’ve had a lead in one of those games. Most of these losses haven’t even been competitive. The East Coast Angels feeling has returned. The Yankees have two of the best players in the world and an insufficient supporting cast. Last year it was Judge and Gerrit Cole. This year it’s Judge and Soto. A bad, bad stretch of baseball that gets a little longer with each passing day. Here now is Friday morning’s post Thursday afternoon. I figured I’d run this early just because it seems better to get it out there after the Mets series and before the Blue Jays series.

1. Weekday thoughts. June swoons happen and I know that, but they’re not an easy pill to swallow when the June swoon turned into a rest of the season swoon the last two years. The 2022 Yankees were 49-16 on June 18th, then played .500 ball the rest of the way. The 2023 Yankees were 36-25 on June 4th, then played sub-.500 ball the rest of the way. This team has run out of steam the last two Junes. It’s on them to prove they’re not doing it again and not on me to give them the benefit of doubt. The Yankees are now 1-6 in their last seven games at Citi Field. Here are a few thoughts on the last few games.

Gleyber’s benching

The Gleyber Torres situation is becoming untenable. He was hitting a few weeks ago but that stopped, the defensive mistakes continue to pile up, and then he didn’t run out a ground ball Tuesday (video). Torres and Aaron Boone said he’s nursing a groin injury (he left a game with it last week), but if you’re healthy enough to play, you’re healthy enough to be expected to perform. This is not the first time this has happened.

“He and I have talked about (not running it out), and he has been dealing with a little bit of a groin that he came out for last week,” Boone told Gary Phillips. “So there’s certain spots where he’s being a little bit careful with it. But he’s obviously really important to what we’re doing and especially right now, needing some meat in the middle of that lineup. We gotta get him going.”

Torres is a lightning rod. Things are bigger with him like they were with Gary Sánchez – could you imagine Gleyber skating with zero criticism like DJ LeMahieu did after that impressively half-assed wave at a ground ball, which turned an infield single into a double (video)? – but it’s not undeserved. And some of this has gone on long enough that Boone, the Yankees, and the leadership group deserve blame too.

Not running out a ground ball is not really the problem though. It’s a bad look, groin injury or no groin injury, but at the end of the day, it’s small beans. The problem is the total collapse of Gleyber’s game. There are no redeeming qualities here:

• .215/.294/.333 (83 wRC+ and .282 wOBA)

• .205 xAVG and .334 xSLG (.282 xwOBA)

• -4 DRS and +0 OAA (12 errors, second most in baseball)

• -0.4 baserunning runs

The Yankees have played 82 games. This is no longer a slump or a slow start. It’s a bad season, straight up, and it somehow seems to be getting worse. The only thing Torres has going for him is his track record. How did this same person hit .273/.347/.453 (123 wRC+) and be a +3 WAR player just last season? That track record only goes so far. It’s time to put someone else at second and take playing away from Gleyber.

And the Yankees can’t really do that because their depth is non-existent. LeMahieu has somehow been worse than Torres, plus he can no longer play second base regularly at his age. He hasn’t played a single inning at second since last July 5th. And besides, LeMahieu is needed at third base, which is another problem all together. These are the options to replace Torres with Jon Berti and Caleb Durbin hurt:

• Oswaldo Cabrera: .238/.281/.349 (81 wRC+)

• Jahmai Jones: .182/.308/.490 (109 wRC+) in all of 27 PA

• Oswald Peraza: .180/.316/.216 (49 wRC+) in Triple-A

• Jorbit Vivas: .225/.381/.337 (98 wRC+) in Triple-A

I guess the Yankees could give Jeter Downs and his .274/.373/.531 (128 wRC+) line in Scranton a look, but the guy is whiffing with close to a quarter of his swings in Triple-A (24.3% to be precise), which inspires little confidence. That I’m even mentioning Downs is a sign of a) how bad things have gotten with Torres, and b) how little depth the Yankees have. Their internal replacement level on the infield is on the floor.

Gleyber, remarkably, is the best option at second base because that +3 WAR player from last year is one day or one swing away. In theory, anyway. That has been true since Opening Day and we’re still waiting, and the struggles are clearly taking a toll on Torres. He cares, man. If anything Torres is trying too hard, not not trying hard enough. Trying hard (or too hard) should only buy you so much rope though.

“Just felt like he needs it,” Boone told Phillips about sitting Torres on Wednesday. “I might give him a couple days here, just to kind of reset. I just think he’s too important, and a guy that I’m confident we’ll get going. But it’s been a grind. It’s been a struggle. I think he’s feeling that a little bit. So it’s hopefully something that will serve him well mentally and physically to just take an exhale.”

It’s usually a bad idea to make a change simply for the sake of making a change, but it might be time to do that. Call up Peraza or Vivas (Peraza was sent down Sunday and his 10-day waiting period doesn’t expire until next week) and put him at second, and see what happens. They could be worse than Torres! The Yankees are somehow only 24th in WAR at second base. There’s still plenty of runway between that and 30th. But after 82 games, you kinda have to try something new.

Earlier this week the Rangers made a bunch of roster moves and GM Chris Young said it was because “sometimes you've got to try to shake things up, we're looking for a spark.” Perhaps the head executive of the reigning World Series champs has a point. When something isn’t working more than 80 games into the season, sometimes you have to change it, no matter what the back of the baseball card says.

“I think it’s bad. I have to figure out how to get better. Working really hard,” Torres told Phillips about his season. “... It’s not easy. I know that I can do a better job right now. I just gotta. I don’t do the adjustments. It is what it is. No excuses. When I have the opportunity to play, I just try to do the right things.”

Cole’s disaster start (and missing velocity)

Okay, maybe Gerrit Cole needed more than three rehab starts. The reigning AL Cy Young winner got tattooed Tuesday night: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 0 K, 4 HR. It’s only the second time in 319 career starts (postseason included) Cole did not strike out a batter. The other was back in 2016. He did get up to 72 pitches, which I guess is good news, but the rest is bad, including his fastball velocity. Look at this dip:

Cole’s last fastball of the first inning was 97.7 mph and his first fastball of the second inning was 91.5 mph. With a pitcher coming off an elbow injury, even nerve inflammation rather than something structural, that’s a worrisome in-game decline. But the fact Cole held his velocity in the 94 mph range after the first inning suggested it was intentional, not an injury, and according to Cole, he throttled back on purpose.

“I was very encouraged by the first inning. That was free and easy,” Cole told Greg Joyce. “But there’s a certain point where it’s like, my objective is to get deep into the ballgame and I’m not quite sure I’m ready to just keep sitting 97-99. And we’re not in the strike zone enough with it. So not only is it an effort of we’re trying to get to 75 pitches, but it’s also like, ‘It’s not really going where you want it to Gerrit, so is that the most efficient fastball you can be throwing tonight?’ I think we settled in a good spot later in the game. If the first inning goes a little different, that may change some of the metrics and the strategy of it going forward as well.”

It’s one thing for me, a big dumb idiot with a blog, to say Cole seems ready and the Yankees should bring him back and let him finish getting stretched out at the MLB level. Why waste those bullets in the minors, right? It’s another for the Yankees and Cole to bring him back when he’s “not quite sure I’m ready to just keep sitting 97-98.” Not quite ready to be Gerrit Cole, in other words. (And, frankly, if Cole sitting 94 mph equals four homers in the final three innings like Tuesday, that’s kinda scary for the future.)

I trust Cole to straighten himself out and get back to being a really, really good pitcher. But yeah, maybe he did need another rehab start or two to continue building arm strength, not just building his pitch count. He seems healthy and that’s important, but – and I am saying this for the second time in this post – if you’re healthy enough to be on the field, then you’re healthy enough to be expected to perform. Cole looked like a pitcher in Spring Training mode in a meaningful regular season game. It was a disaster.

“The progression has been nailed,” Cole told Bryan Hoch. “This is the first time we’ve had the challenge of 28 pitches (in an inning). It’s the first time we’ve touched 99 mph. It’s the first time we’ve got past 70 pitches. So I feel pretty good in those regards under the umbrella that this was a pretty tough night, and I didn’t really give us a chance to win.”

A collapsing pitching staff (and a note on Gil)

The offense outside Juan Soto and Aaron Judge is a big problem, but the pitching staff is most responsible for this 1-6 stretch and 7-11 downturn. The Yankees have a 5.49 ERA in their last 18 games and a 7.24 ERA in their last 10 games. They’ve allowed 7+ runs seven times in the last 10 games after doing it seven times in the first 72 games. In the last 12 games, they’ve gone from first in runs allowed per game (3.26) all the way down to sixth (3.79). They’ve added half-a-run to their season runs allowed per game in 12 games.

The Yankees allowed seven home runs and struck out six batters in the two-game Subway Series. They faced 84 batters and struck out six for a cool 7.1 K%. The pitching staff has an 18.1 K% in the last 19 games. Some of that is the competition – the Dodgers, Mets, and Royals all have among the lowest K% in the game – but not all of it. The competition didn’t make Carlos Rodón stop missing bats with his fastball last year. This team just doesn’t strike anyone out anymore. They give up plenty of homers, but they don’t miss bats.

I have no idea what’s going on here but this is just another thing going wrong. The pitching staff has gone in the tank the last few weeks and no one can get an out without needing the defense to make a play behind them. Can’t throw basestealers out, can’t strike hitters out. There are extra bases for all. If you don’t steal it, the next hitter will move you over with a productive out because strike three is a happy mistake, not something the Yankees can get consistently. How in the year 2024 does a team just not strike guys out? I’m not even mad. I’m amazed.

As for Luis Gil, the Yankees should use all these upcoming off-days and the All-Star break to give him a breather. They have so many off-days coming up that they only need their No. 5 starter to make six starts between now and Sept. 3rd. That’s 56 games from now. That means the other four starters would have to work pretty hard and basically never get extra rest, and the Yankees shouldn’t do that. But there is plenty of opportunity to lighten the load on Gil and the Yankees should take advantage these next few weeks.

Gil is up to 85.2 innings in his first full year back from Tommy John surgery. He threw four rehab innings last year and 25.2 innings before surgery in 2022. His career high is 108.2 innings in 2021 and he’s almost 80% of the way there, and we’re still in June. And that’s 85.2 big league innings too. They’re much more intense and taxing than minor league innings. Feeling the workload would be understandable. There’s still a lot of season to be played. The schedule allows the Yankees to ease up on Gil now, so do it.

“No, no. Not at all,” Gil told Phillips when asked whether he feels fatigued following Wednesday’s game. “I feel very healthy. Like I mentioned before, I feel very strong.”

Also, if the clock has struck midnight on Gil, then so be it. He was tasked with helping the Yankees stay afloat while Cole was on the injured list and he more than did that. Gil, Judge, Soto. The only three guys on this team who get zero blame for anything that has gone/is going wrong for this team. And I guess Anthony Volpe, though he’s behind those three for me. Gil gave the Yankees more than anyone could have reasonably expected this year. Now take care of him, and try to make it last a little longer.

Wells has to play more

This is getting ridiculous. Because the Yankees have faced so many lefties lately, Austin Wells has started only two of the last nine games and five of the last 16 games. He has five plate appearances in the last nine days. The lineup behind Soto and Judge positively stinks. It’s time to put Wells on the Adley Rutschman and early career Sal Perez plan and DH him when he’s not catching. 

I fully acknowledge Wells has not impressed with the bat: .209/.300/.318 (81 wRC+) this year. The underlying numbers are a bit better though (.279 wOBA vs. .336 xwOBA), and he hasn’t had much of a chance to settle in at the plate in part because he’s been in a strict platoon. Wells has not started three consecutive games all year. Not once! Jose Trevino’s done it three times, including last week during the homestand.

Give Wells consistent at-bats and play him against lefties. Teams all around the league do this. They shelter young lefty hitters from lefty pitchers and they never get a chance to improve against lefties, then suddenly they’re career platoon players. Matt Joyce and Joc Pederson are Exhibits A and B. This goes for Ben Rice too. He could start against Max Fried on Sunday but not David Peterson on Tuesday? Come on.

When the alternative is Jahmai Jones at DH against lefties, just put Wells in there. And if Trevino gets hurt, then you give up the DH and put Wells behind the plate, and deal with it for the rest of the game. It’s not the end of the world (Rice is a viable emergency third catcher!). With Giancarlo Stanton out and the offense being so top heavy, an avenue to improvement might be hiding in plain sight. Give Wells more run.

Miscellany

Judge has a .432 OBP in his last 11 games and he’s scored three runs that weren’t on his homers. Either he drives himself in or he doesn’t score. Judge has driven in seven of the Yankees’ last nine runs and 13 of their last 24 runs. He is Atlas. Judge was hitting .197/.331/.393 (109 wRC+) on May 2nd and he’s hit .393/.501/.951 (293 wRC+) in 47 games since. His season slash line sits at .309/.433/.712 (215 wRC+). This is one of the greatest hitting performances in baseball history, both these last 47 games and also the last three seasons. Also, the extra-base hit pace is up to 106! … J.D. Davis fits in perfectly: 0-for-5 with four strikeouts and a GIDP (and two walks) through two games with the Yankees. Within the last week the Yankees have picked up a first baseman/DH who was dumped by the Athletics and a lefty reliever who was dumped by the White Sox (Tim Hill). I understand options are limited in June and that teams are better at unearthing hidden gems than ever, but can we have a little self-respect here? You’re the Yankees, man.

Injury updates and roster moves

Scott Effross (elbow, back) was scheduled to make his third rehab appearance Wednesday night, but it got rained out. I assume he’ll go Thursday instead. The Yankees moved him up to Triple-A Scranton, though Boone told Hoch that Effross “still has a ways to go.” His return is not imminent. At least progress is being made. As for J.T. Brubaker (elbow), he’s lined up to make his third rehab start this weekend. Not sure if he’s staying in Tampa or moving up to another level … Victor González cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A earlier this week. That’s a surprise. I figured he was a goner via trade or waivers. Short of a trade for a legit prospect, this is the best outcome. González stays in the organization as a non-40-man roster player and the Yankees can work with him and try to get him on track. That said, the entire league just had a free crack at a 28-year-old lefty who’s had some big league success and is under team control through 2026, and they all passed. Doesn’t speak well to González’s standing in the league … Yoendrys Gómez was sent down after Wednesday’s disaster outing (six outs, five runs, 62 pitches) and Jake Cousins was called up as the fresh arm du jour. Calling up Cousins the day after the new season of The Bear dropped has excellent marketing potential. Also, Clayton Andrews elected free agency after being DFA the other day. González staying around fills that void.

Up next

Four games in Toronto and then an off-day Monday. I thought next week was the final week before the All-Star break, but no, that’s still two full weeks away. Here are the pitching matchups:

• Thursday at Blue Jays: LHP Carlos Rodón vs. RHP José Berríos (7pm ET on YES)

• Friday at Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman vs. LHP Yusei Kikuchi (7pm ET on YES)

• Saturday at Blue Jays: LHP Nestor Cortes vs. RHP Chris Bassitt (3pm ET on YES)

• Sunday at Blue Jays: RHP Gerrit Cole vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (1:30pm ET on YES, MLBN)

It’s time for an update to everyone’s favorite stat: Kikuchi has a 2.32 ERA (3.53 FIP) against the Yankees since signing with the Blue Jays. It’s a 4.54 ERA (4.53 FIP) against everyone else. The Yankees can’t touch the guy. I mean, they can’t touch any lefty these days, but they really can’t touch Kikuchi. Just forfeit Friday’s game and save the bullpen, etc. etc.

The Blue Jays are reeling. They snapped a seven-game losing streak Tuesday night and they’re 23-33 in their last 56 games. Second most homers allowed, third fewest homers hit. That’s a bad, bad combination. The Yankees are reeling too, but they are better than Toronto, and they need to show it this weekend. 

2. 2024 draft prospect: Texas HS IF Theo Gillen. The 2024 MLB Draft will take place during the All-Star break and the Yankees hold the No. 26 pick. Here are the draft prospects I’ve already profiled. Some are players the Yankees are reported to have interest in, some are players who fit the team’s M.O., and some are players I like for whatever reason. We’re covering a little of everything.

Gillen, 18, is well-known and has been on the radar for a long time, though his high school career has been full of injuries. He missed 2022 because of a torn right labrum and surgery, last year he had a knee injury, and this year it was a groin issue. When he’s been on the field, he’s impressed, including against other top draft prospects in showcase events. Here’s where the latest draft rankings have Gillen:

• Baseball America (subs. req’d): No. 25

• ESPN (subs. req’d): No. 22

• Keith Law (subs. req’d): No. 16

• MLB Pipeline: No. 28

For what it’s worth, Kiley McDaniel (subs. req’d) says a lot of teams picking in the 15-25 range have shown interest in Gillen, which is unfortunate for the team holding the No. 26 pick. With a middling crop of college players, this could be a year teams go high school heavy in the middle of the first round. We’ll see. Here’s video and here’s part of MLB Pipeline’s free scouting report:

Gillen may have the best bat of any high schooler in this Draft. He has a disciplined approach, quick hands and a sweet left-handed swing that combine to produce line drives to all fields. His hitting ability will allow him to get to most of his plus raw power, giving him a 20-homer floor, and he should develop more pop as he adds more strength to his physical 6-foot-2 frame.

Scouts get run times from solid to well-above-average on Gillen, who looks more dynamic than he did last summer now that his knee injury is further behind him. The Texas recruit has better range to his left than his right at shortstop, but his arm hasn't bounced back from labrum surgery and will dictate a position change at the next level. He could become an offensive second baseman, his quickness makes center field a possibility and at worst he should produce enough offense to profile in left field.

It’s generally easier to go from the infield to the outfield, not the other way around, so you might as well start Gillen at short or second and see whether that works before moving him to center. Regardless, the bat is what will make the kid a millionaire next month. Gillen is regarded as one of the three or four best high school position players in the class because he can hit. The positional stuff you figure out later.

Really, the only reason the Yankees have a chance to land Gillen is the injury history. It’s lengthy and it’s pretty serious stuff. The kid’s already had his right shoulder rebuilt – that’s his front shoulder when hitting, the power shoulder – plus his knee has given him trouble. There has been nothing connecting the Yankees and Gillen, but the hitting ability and up-the-middle potential is up their alley.

3. Rapid fire thoughts. There’s a thing going around about Vlad Guerrero Jr. being open to a trade to the Yankees – two years ago Guerrero said he would never play for the Yankees, “not even (when I’m) dead” – but that’s a misrepresentation. Earlier this week he was asked about playing for the Yankees and said he’s a pro, and if he gets traded, it’s his job to go perform for whichever team. That’s all. He didn’t say oh yeah, I’d love to play for the Yankees. Guerrero is hitting .288/.370/.435 (133 wRC+) on the season and .330/.401/.500 (159 wRC+) in his last 47 games. The Yankees would have him as an arbitration-eligible player next year and hey, he's already cut his hair. A trade is not happening, I can’t imagine the Blue Jays trading Vlad Jr. within the AL East, but I’d take him in a heartbeat. Going from the current first base situation to Guerrero is a massive, massive upgrade. So he said he hates the Yankees. Who cares? They’re the Yankees, everyone hates them, including me right now with the way they’re playing.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Mike asks: It feels like Judge has been getting more pitches in and around the zone this year, with Soto (& Volpe) on base in front of him. Has he been? Has Soto been getting better pitches to hit because Judge is behind him in the order? Are they both getting similar treatment as they’ve always gotten but it just feels different?

I hadn’t noticed that, pitchers going after Aaron Judge more this season than in the past, but the numbers do back it up. Judge is seeing more pitches in the zone and also more fastballs this season. They’re not enormous increases, but they are increases nonetheless:

2023 Judge with bases empty: 45.5% in-zone rate and 41.8% fastballs
2024 Judge with bases empty: 48.1% in-zone rate and 42.2% fastballs

2023 Judge with runners on: 48.0% in-zone rate and 38.6% fastballs
2024 Judge with runners on: 49.4% in-zone rate and 42.9% fastballs

It's insane to me that anyone ever pitches to Judge. He’s so powerful, he’s in the middle of the hottest hot streak of his career (incredibly), and no one hitting behind him will make you pay. I can’t explain why Judge is seeing more pitches in the zone and more fastballs this year. Seems counterintuitive. We should check back in a few months and see where these numbers end up. I have to think Judge will get less and less to hit later in the season as the postseason races really pick up. Here now are Juan Soto’s numbers:

2023 Soto with bases empty: 47.9% in-zone rate and 44.1% fastballs
2024 Soto with bases empty: 47.1% in-zone rate and 49.9% fastballs

2023 Soto with runners on: 47.4% in-zone rate and 44.3% fastballs
2024 Soto with runners on: 48.2% in-zone rate and 39.9% fastballs

More or less the same number of pitches in the zone, but Soto is seeing way more fastballs with the bases empty this year and way fewer fastballs with runners on. Interesting! Intuitively, that says opposing pitchers don’t want to walk Soto in front of Judge and start a rally when the bases are empty. They’ll challenge him with fastballs then. But, with runners on, they’re more careful and trying to get him to chase or make weak contact. They’re trying to avoid the really big inning. Sound reasonable? I dunno.

Rob asks: Given how GT is playing this season. Is there an instance where the Yankees could flip him to another team and gain assets (or even take back their upcoming FA!) in a trade?

Oh sure. The Yankees managed to turn Joey Gallo into Clayton Beeter two years ago and that was despite a) Gallo being bad longer than Gleyber Torres, and b) everyone knowing Gallo wasn’t working in New York and the Yankees had to trade him. They had very little leverage and still managed to turn Gallo into a good (but not great) pitching prospect. The Yankees could absolutely trade Gleyber for something.

Rummaging through depth charts, the Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, and Red Sox stand out as teams in the postseason race that could use a second base upgrade (only contenders make sense for Torres because he’s a rental). Maybe the Blue Jays too if they go on a run these next few weeks. Jorge Polanco’s been hurt and bad (73 wRC+) this year. Would the Yankees and Mariners be up for a Torres for Polanco change of scenery trade? Seattle’s had interest in Gleyber in the past. To answer the question, yes, there would be trade interest in Torres even as bad as he’s been. Probably not a ton of interest, but interest.

Chris asks: Are you surprised Austin Wells hasn’t produced more at the plate? Coming up through the minors, I thought he was always a bat-first guy. Can we expect more out of him, or is this the best we’re getting?

I am surprised, yes. I boldly predicted Wells would get Rookie of the Year votes, and that’s not happening even in a down year for AL rookies. Luis Gil, even with his recent hiccups, and Mason Miller are the Rookie of the Year frontrunners at the moment. Then I guess Wilyer Abreu? Colton Cowser? Wyatt Langford has hit well since returning from his hamstring injury last month, so maybe he enters the race.

Getting back to Wells, there are a few things to consider with his lack of production. One, his underlying numbers are better than the output, so it’s not like he’s swung a noodle bat. Two, he hasn’t really gotten consistent playing time, as I wrote earlier. Three, he’s a rookie catcher and those guys have a very steep learning curve. Wells has a lot on his plate with all the defensive responsibilities, which teams often prioritize over offense.

And four, rookies stink this year! All across the league. Look at the rookie numbers the last few years:

• 2022: .233/.300/.372 (91 wRC+)

• 2023: .240/.310/.391 (91 wRC+)

• 2024: .231/.296/.353 (85 wRC+)

Jackson Holliday went 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts before being demoted. Langford has struggled. Evan Carter has struggled. Jackson Chourio has struggled. Colt Keith has struggled. There have been a few rookie success stories (Jackson Merrill, Masyn Winn, etc.), but, by and large, rookies have struggled this year, and it’s not like it’s a down year for prospects. The tippy top guys are having a hard time.

There’s a larger conversation to be had in a non-mailbag setting about the state of the minors and Triple-A in particular, and whether it is properly preparing young hitters for the big leagues. Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) wrote about it last month. Part of it is the new 165-player limit on minor league contracts. Prospects take priority and Quad-A types are getting squeezed out of the game. Those guys play an important role in the player development ecosystem. They raise the level of competition and challenge your prospects. Now there are fewer of them.

There is more to rookie hitters struggling than that – teams know so much about young players now, so much so that the first pitch Ben Rice saw in the big leagues was a curveball (video) and not a “prove to me you can hit it” fastball – but rookies are really struggling this year, and that could be contributing to Wells’ underwhelming season. Maybe he’s a dud and this is all he’ll be, but he’s got 225 plate appearances in the big leagues and he plays the sport’s most demanding position. Patience is warranted.

Alex asks: The Yankees are regularly trotting out 4-5 hitters (namely Rizzo, LeMahieu, Torres, Trevino, Cabrera) who are in the bottom 20% of nearly every single statcast metric across the board. With 3B, 2B, and C standing out as clear needs (Leaving out 1B with the hope Ben Rice gets a real chance to prove himself), do you think it is possible for the Yankees to adequately address at least 2, if not all 3, of these spots by the deadline?

Probably not, no. That’s a lot of heavy lifting at the deadline and it just might not be possible. The Yankees need a new first baseman, a new second baseman, a new third baseman, and a righty hitting outfielder to platoon with Alex Verdugo. That’s on top of the bullpen needs. Maybe Rice solves the first base problem, but the Gleyber Torres situation is not improving, third base is a wasteland, and Verdugo doesn’t hit lefties even when he’s going well (which he hasn’t for close to two months now).

I suppose the good news is going from the current situation to a league average player at first, second, and third would represent a big improvement. It shouldn't be that hard to come up with league average players. But also league average players are still league average players. They only move the needle so much. Verdugo looks like an All-Star compared to the left fielders of 2023, but he’s a complementary player on a good team and nothing more. The Yankees need an impact bat or two. A legit middle of the order anchor. They did even before Giancarlo Stanton got hurt. Juan Soto and Aaron Judge give the offense a very high ceiling. The Yankees must raise the floor around them.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)