The New York Yankees regarded like the most effective group in baseball by means of the primary two-and-a-half months of the season and a reliable World Sequence contender.
They nonetheless may find yourself being each of these issues, however their current droop — which was given an exclamation level with an 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, capping off a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium — is beginning to present that this group nonetheless has some very actual flaws.
A few of these flaws are the identical ones which have existed within the Bronx for a few years now.
The most important flaw of all of them — an absence of depth all through the lineup.
Whereas the offseason additions of Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo added two large bats to go round Aaron Choose, they’re nonetheless very depending on the Choose-Soto duo to hold virtually all of the offense.
That’s solely magnified given the current accidents to designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton and first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
With Thursday’s loss to the Reds, the Yankees are actually simply 5-14 of their previous 19 video games, a stretch that has seen them rating simply 91 runs.
The accidents to Stanton and Rizzo may get among the blame for that, however it could’t be all of it — particularly when Rizzo himself was not hitting properly earlier than he left the lineup.
The larger situation is that the Yankees are getting virtually no manufacturing this season from any of their infield positions with the lone exception of shortstop Anthony Volpe, and even he has tailed off in current weeks.
Of the 11 Yankees hitters who’ve registered at the least 100 plate appearances this season, the one ones with an OPS+ over 100 (with 100 being a league-average hitter) are Choose (219), Soto (181) and Stanton (120). Choose and Soto are the one two presently within the lineup.
Much more regarding is that 5 of these gamers with 100 plate appearances have an OPS+ decrease than 90.
It’s merely not a really deep lineup. That has been a problem lately the place the Yankees would solely be capable to go so far as Choose may carry them. The addition of Soto has modified that slightly this season, however solely to the purpose the place the lineup solely seems to be like it is going to go so far as Choose, Soto and their beginning pitching rotation will carry them.
That’s going to be an issue enjoying in a division with the Baltimore Orioles whose lineup has virtually no weaknesses from prime to backside if they don’t determine a method to repair it.