Yankees executives had front row seats to Aaron Boone's latest failure

Not too long ago, the New York Yankees were cruising to the MLB postseason. Led by the bats of Juan Soto and captain Aaron Judge, the Bronx Bombers were locked in a tight race with the Baltimore Orioles for the top seed in the American League East.

The Yankees captured their 50th win of the season against the Boston Red Sox on June 14, improving to a 50-22 record. They were only supposed to improve with the highly anticipated return of Gerrit Cole, who would join a rotation that ranked among the best in Major League Baseball.

Instead, New York went into a slump. The slump turned into a nosedive, and the nosedive turned into a tailspin. After losing just 22 of their first 72 games, the Yankees have lost 17 of their last 23 games. Since June 15, New York has compiled a 5-15 record.

Yankees executives travel to witness Yankees spectacle in person

Things have gotten so ugly for the Yankees that team executives traveled to Tropicana Field to witness the spectacle on Tuesday. According to MLB reporter Bryan Hoch, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was among those in attendance as the Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was also in attendance to witness the team's collapse.

"Because of how we've been playing, I've decided to join us," Cashman said before the game. "It's been a struggle, obviously. Thankfully we got out of the gates really strong, so hopefully that cushion will allow us to work through this hopefully sooner than later on because it's gone on long enough."

The Yankees pitching has struggled, despite Cole's return to the lineup. The offense hasn't been any better, as all of New York's hitters seem to be struggling. In Late June, former general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic ($) reported that the Yankees are not expected to add another starting pitcher to their rotation.

Things have changed since then, however, as the Yankees now hold just a four-game lead for the top AL Wild Card spot.

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 the three-game series against Tampa Bay, the Yankees will face the division-leading Orioles for three games before the break.

As the season approaches its halfway mark, New York still have plenty of time to get back on track. The Yankees will hope for the return of designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton after the All-Star break. Stanton has been out with a strained left hamstring since June 23.