The New York Yankees haven’t given up on winning the American League East, but time is running out on that quest. The Yankees are in second place in the division, 6 ½ games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, going into their game against the Blue Jays on Sunday in Toronto. New York has just 39 games remaining, though it does host the Rays in a four-game series during the last week of the season from Sept. 22-24 at Yankee Stadium.
Barring a huge collapse, the Yankees should at least reach the postseason for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons, even though sluggers Aaron Judge (rib), Cody Bellinger (hamstring) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf) are on the injured list. New York leads the AL wild card standings by 7 ½ games.
Yet the Yankees still want the AL East crown, and that puts pressure on certain people during the stretch run.
Aaron Boone
Boone takes a lot of heat from Yankees’ fans because he has yet to win a World Series since being hired before the 2018 season. However, Boone is coming under intense scrutiny for his batting orders and defensive alignments.
The Yankees are dealing with injuries that would greatly diminish any team’s offense, so it is unfair to place all the blame on Boone. However, it seems the fans will never warm up to him until the Yankees win their 28th World Series title.
Aaron Judge
Yes, it’s unfair to put too much heat on a player who has been on the IL since June 1 and only began playing catch on Saturday. Yet the Yankees need their team captain and three-time AL MVP to return as soon as possible and give their lineup a much-needed jolt.
Pitching staff
The Yankees lead the major leagues with a 3.28 ERA, and the pitching staff must continue to carry a large portion of the load until the sluggers get healthy. Alarmingly, New York has scored three runs or fewer in 19 of 27 games since the All-Star break and has a 14-13 record in that span.
George Lombard Jr.
The 21-year-old shortstop has impressed since making his major league debut on Aug. 4, hitting .265/.342/.441 with two home runs in 10 games. Lombard is lauded for his maturity and poise, but he also has never been in an MLB pennant race.
Spencer Jones
The Yankees hoped the slugging outfield prospect could make up for part of the power lost with Judge, Bellinger and Stanton sidelined. However, the towering Jones has five homers in his first 50 games with a .216/.305/.395 slash line and Aa .146 batting average and no homers in his last 12 games.
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