It's no question that the Yankees are in a tough position right now. They find themselves dead last in the AL East with a record of 17-15. It's not going to get easier from here either as their next ten games include seven against the red-hot 25-6 Rays.
Yankees' GM Brian Cashman spoke with the media before yesterday's 4-3 win over the Guardians.
“Don’t give up on us. That’s all I can tell you; don’t count us out,” Cashman said. “We’ve got a good group of people -- player-wise, staff-wise, support staff-wise. It’s a championship-caliber operation from that perspective, but we’re not currently flying at the level that we would have expected, because we’re missing some pretty important pieces.”
“The team we’re currently running out there, that’s not the team we actually anticipated,” Cashman said. “That happens on a continuous basis; typically, you lose one or two guys along the way. But we’ve lost a lot more than one or two guys along the way. We’re patching holes as best we can at this time of year.”
(Quotes via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com)
As Cashman explained, the Yankees are dealing with a load of injuries at the moment. Approximately $153M of the Yankees $280M payroll is currently on the IL, which is by far the highest amount on injuried reserve.
Although these injuries are a lot to deal with, the product on the field just is not getting the job done. Below average hitters followed by a pitching staff that runs thin after Gerrit Cole, is not the position the Yankees want to be in.
Manager of the New York Yankees, Aaron Boone, has been ridiculed by the fanbase for questionable bullpen decisions as well. Just like the rest of the club, the bullpen has suffered some big injuries as well. That forces Boone to use what he has available to him. That includes troubling closer, Clay Holmes. Holmes made the All-Star team last season but has struggled mightily after the break and has brought that into 2023.
As the year goes on, the Yankees will find themselves in a much better position as the team gets healthier. However, in a very competitive AL East, they are quickly losing ground on the Rays and company. Currently sitting at 8.5 GB, the Yankees season is a disaster at this moment. The problems run deeper than just injuries as the depth is proving it was not attended to in the off-season. Times are rough in the Bronx.