Relatively speaking, the Yankees are in a good spot. They have won seven of their last 10 games, despite yet another heart-wrenching, walk-off loss to the White Sox in the Field of Dreams game on Thursday night.
They’re within reach of the second Wild Card spot. Even the American League East isn’t totally out of the question, though the first-place Rays have been on fire of late.
Still, they’re not clicking on all cylinders. Injuries are part of the reason. They can’t wait to get back Domingo German (shoulder), and see what Luis Severino (groin, Tommy John surgery) and Corey Kluber (shoulder) can contribute to the rotation for the playoff push. Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery could come off the COVID-19 injured list early in the week, and Gary Sanchez and Anthony Rizzo shouldn’t be too far behind them.
But they need help from a few players who have struggled. Here are four of them:
Joey Gallo, OF
Gallo just hasn’t given the Yankees anything close to what they were hoping for when they nabbed him from Texas at the trade deadline. Despite assertions from Boone that Gallo has been having good at-bats — which may be true — the production hasn’t shown up. In 62 plate appearances in pinstripes, he’s hit just .140 with a homer, three RBI and a .586 OPS. His 23 strikeouts are concerning, even if whiffing has been part of his game his whole career. But, to his credit, while he leads the league in whiffs (148), he also leads it in walks (86). Gallo’s struggles started well before he went to New York, however. Since July 1, he’s hit only .167 with 50 strikeouts in 133 plate appearances.
Zack Britton, LHP
Thursday night was rough for Britton, who couldn’t locate a sinker down and watched as the White Sox’s Tim Anderson ripped it for the walk-off home run in the Field of Dreams game. He’s had a difficult run since coming off the injured list, posting a 7.15 ERA (9 ER, 11 1/3 IP) in 13 games. Hitters have a .282 batting average and a .830 OPS against him. But there’s reason for optimsim. Boone pointed out that Britton’s velocity has been steadily creeping up, and the numbers don’t lie. His sinker averaged a season-best 93.48 mph on Wednesday night in Kansas City (Statcast data weren’t available for Thursday). He’s getting stronger, which is what the Yankees need with Chapman on the shelf for at least a few more days.
Andrew Heaney, LHP
It’s likely that Heaney’s time in the rotation is over, thanks to yet another stinker. Giving up seven earned runs, including three home runs, in the Field of Dreams game was bad enough news for him. He’s surrendered eight bombs in his first three Yankees starts since they acquired him at the deadline. But the returns of Jordan Montgomery and Gerrit Cole early next week should give Heaney the boot for good. Now begs the question: Is there a spot for the left-hander in the back-end of the Yankees’ bullpen? Perhaps in mop-up innings? Maybe. Heaney would almost undoubtedly get claimed off waivers.
Luke Voit, 1B
Of course, just five games back might not be enough to knock off the rust. But Voit hasn’t done much at the plate since his return, hitting just .150 (3-for-20) since coming back from the injured list. He’a also struck out eight times and had a .527 OPS. Voit doesn’t contribute a ton defensively, and with Anthony Rizzo likely returning from the COVID-19 injured list in the next week, it would have been good for Voit to contribute while he was getting regular at-bats. He still has time.
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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