4 New York Yankees who are not giving Juan Soto enough help

Yankees fans are understandably excited about the team's 14-7 start that has them sitting atop the AL East standings. Juan Soto's stellar play has fans in New York fawning over his every move. The scary thing for New York's competitors is that quite a few players aren't pulling their weight to give Soto the support he needs.

It's too early for any of the four players on this list to push the panic button but their play does deserve close attention over the coming weeks. If signs of improvement are not shown quickly it could cause manager Aaron Boone to make some tough decisions.

4. Austin Wells

The Yankees front office knew Wells' defense would be a work in progress this season but they believed he'd hit right away. Instead, the highly-touted rookie has been a non-factor at the plate whenever he's started games this year.

The rookie catcher only has three hits in his first 43 at-bats on the young season. That comes out to a paltry batting average of .091. All three of his hits also happen to be singles. That's not the sort of power Boone and the team's higher-ups envision for Wells when they brought him north from Spring Training.

It's far too early to shovel dirt on Wells' career. It's worth noting that he does look comfortable at the plate. He still needs to up his production quickly if he wants to stop GM Brian Cashman for looking for a new platoon partner behind the plate.

3. Anthony Rizzo

Rizzo looks better at the plate than he did after his concussion last season but the production still isn't there for the talented lefty hitter. It's worth wondering if the 34-year-old will ever be anything more than an average offensive player at a position that usually commands much more.

A slight uptick in recent performance has permitted RIzzo's batting average to creep up to .232 with an on base percentage of .308. Neither mark is good enough to justify where Rizzo is currently hitting in the lineup.

His place in the everyday lineup could become tenuous once DJ LeMahieu gets back to full health. He could start to platoon with Rizzo at first base given Oswaldo Cabrera's blistering start at the hot corner. Rizzo needs to barrel up some balls soon if he wants to maintain his status as an every day starter.

2. Gleyber Torres

Torres was arguably the Yankees' best player during Spring Training. That makes his struggles to start the year confusing for team officials and fans alike.

The young second baseman still doesn't have a home run and is only hitting .195 through the first 21 games of the campaign. Boone dropped him out of the leadoff spot in the order to take some pressure off Torres but that switch hasn't paid off yet.

Torres is only valuable for the Yankees if he produces at the plate. His defensive at second is mediocre at best. If he continues to struggle it's possible that he could find himself on the trade block later in the year. Second base is LeMahieu's best position and that could spell trouble for Torres.

1. Aaron Judge

Some Yankees fans believe it's heretical to question Judge but his start to the 2024 season hasn't come close to living up to the player's lofty standings. As the player who should arguably benefit from Soto's insertion into the lineup it's qute surprising to see that Judge still hasn't cracked a .200 batting average.

The good news for Yankees fans is that Judge's underlying numbers are still roughly in line with his previous career performance. His hard-hit ball percentage is a tick higher than it was two seasons ago even if it represents a sharp dip from last year's historic campaign.

Judge is the one player on this list who is in zero danger of losing his spot in the lineup or in Boone's batting order. It would be a major shock if Judge's performance does regress to the mean very soon. That's a frightening thought for pitchers set to face the Yankees in the near future.