3 New York Yankees that need to ‘step it up’ to get back in playoff chase

2. Gleyber Torres

The recent offensive performances from shortstop Gleyber Torres has been an encouraging sign for the Yankees, but they’re still going to need power.

After posting a .182 batting average and .515 OPS through his first 15 games of the season, Torres has increased both of those offensive categories to .272 BA and .708 OPS since then.

His strikeouts are down, but the lack of power is something that Torres needs to improve to help a New York offense which was built to slug. The Yankees rank 18th in the majors with a .386 SLG while Torres is slugging just .359 with three home runs in 206 at-bats this season.

Torres’ slugging is below the MLB average (.398) and far below his 2019 All-Star campaign where he finished with 38 home runs and .535 SLG in 144 games.

1. Jameson Taillon

After being acquired in a trade this past offseason, right-hander Jameson Taillon has struggled to deliver consistent outings for the Yankees.

In 12 outings thus far, Taillon owns a 5.74 ERA, 1.369 WHIP, and a 4.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His last outing on June 12 against the Phillies was by far his worst, as Taillon recorded just one out and allowed four earned runs on 34 pitches before getting yanked.

Taillon pitched at least six innings just once this season, and he’s thrown at least five innings just five times in his 12 outings.  The Yankees cannot afford more poor performances from Taillon, especially given they will be without Corey Kluber for around two months.

The overall struggles for the Bronx Bombers shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of these three players alone, but there’s no question the team would receive a huge boost should they turn things around in the upcoming weeks.