Aaron Boone does little to quell concerns about Yankees struggles

The pinstripes have seen better days.

The pressure is mounting for New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, whose team is — once again — in a free fall. Less than a month ago, the Yankees were in a tight race with the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in the American League East. Today, they're desperately attempting to cling onto the top AL Wild Card spot.

After capturing their 50th win of the season against the Boston Red Sox on June 14, the Yankees have fallen to a 54-37 record. Even the eagerly anticipated return of Gerrit Cole couldn't save New York from their fall from grace.

On Tuesday, Yankees executives accompanied the team to Tropicana Field to witness the team fall to the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-2. It marked the 17th loss in their last 23 games.

Aaron Boone's words aren't easing panic about the struggling Yankees

Before the loss against Tampa Bay, Boone had few words to ease the qualms.

“It feels terrible,” Boone said. “You’ve got to be a little sick to be in this game, though. You’ve got to be able to weather it. You [would] like your stretch where it’s a bump in the road to not be this kind of stretch. You’d like to weather it a little bit better, which we need to do.”

And then, of course, there is Boone's favorite phrase.

“It’s all right there in front of us,” Boone said.

That was the statement after the Yankees were shut out at home against the Boston Red Sox, according to The Athletic ($). Despite the team's mounting struggles, Boone has continued to preach the same message as always.

At this point, it's a message that Yankees fans are familiar with. It's the same phrase that Boone has used each time the Yankees have collapsed in the last three seasons.

In 2023, the Yankees were 11 games above .500 before folding to a 46-55 record. "It's all right there in front of us," Boone said after getting swept by the Los Angeles Angels in July. In 2022, when a 61-23 start turned into a 38-40 finish, Boone said, "It's all right there in front of us." Then, New York was swept in the American League Championship Series by the Houston Astros.

The recipe has been the same each time. A hot start catapults the Yankees into stardom, then a cold ending wipes them out. At this point, it seems inevitable. When Boone believes it's all right there in front of him, the Yankees are bound to fold into themselves like a dying star.

After ranking among the best pitching rotations in Major League Baseball, New York has plunged into darkness. The Yankees have one the worst ERA of any starting rotation since June 13, and closer Clay Holmes has allowed at least one run in five of his past seven appearances.

The Bronx Bombers aren't bombing much these days, either. Anthony Volpe has been one of the worst hitters in the MLB since he was moved into the leadoff spot in April. Gleyber Torres hasn't been much better, and neither has DJ LeMahieu. Excluding rookie first baseman Ben Rice, who has been a pleasant surprise, the Yankees are receiving little production from their infield.

The Yankees will have time to regroup during the All-Star break, but they still have a tough stretch to make it through before then. After Tampa Bay, the Yankees will face the division-leading Orioles for a three-game series before the break.