5 overreactions for the Yankees slow start that may turn out to be true

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 20: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees looks on during seventh inning action against the Houston Astros during a spring training game at The Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 20, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Astros defeated the Yankees 2-1. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

1 of 5

Yankees fans are looking for answers after dropping two out of three games to the lowly Orioles. Here are five solid reasons for the team’s early struggles.

Manager Aaron Boone and his team came into the 2019 season with a clear mission to dominate lower level competition. The Baltimore Orioles certainly fit that description on paper. Losing two out of three games on Opening Weekend to perhaps the least talented team in MLB is not sitting well with Yankees fans.

In fairness, it isn’t sitting well with Yankee players either. Aaron Judge already came out after the Game 2 loss and asked his teammates to play with more urgency. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in New York’s listless start to their Game 3 defeat.

On one hand, it’s too early to panic for a team with this much talent. We’re only three games into a 162 game march. This is certainly too small of a sample size to make massive decisions on. However, there are some things the Yankees did in their firs three games that deserve close monitoring in the coming weeks. These are five things GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees brain trust need to keep an eye on after the disastrous opening series. To be clear, these are all overreactions at this point, but they could turn into truths before too long.

5. Injuries are already costing the Yankees games

There was a real narrative among Yankees fans heading into the season that the absences of Luis Severino, Aaron Hicks, Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius and CC Sabathia weren’t really going to cost this team wins. After three games, that looks like overly optimistic thinking.

Obviously a healthy Severino pushes J.A. Happ out of the opening weekend rotation. Hicks starting in center field sends a struggling Brett Gardner to the bench for a game or two. If Betances starts the year on the active roster it likely means Stephen Tarpley starts the year in AAA. All of those changes could have allowed New York to sweep this series. Big injuries matter for the Yankees just like everyone else. This team needs to get their stars back soon.

Home/New York Yankees