NEW YORK — With the Yankees on a four-game losing streak — including three ugly losses in Boston — Brian Cashman addressed his team’s struggles for the second time this season before Tuesday’s series-opener against the Mariners.
The Yankees began the day a half-game out of fourth place in the American League East, and their offense had failed to score more than three runs in eight of their last 11 games. The Bombers went 3-8 over that stretch despite playing the sub-.500 White Sox and Mets and the last-place Red Sox.
On Sunday, hitting coach Dillon Lawson talked about the individual and overall offensive issues plaguing the Yankees. Cashman followed that up by expressing confidence in high-paid, scuffling veterans like DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson.
“I guess it’s individual for a lot of guys,” the general manager said. “Some of them are coming back from the IL and trying to find their groove again, like Stanton and other guys. Rizzo was flying high, and then obviously since that collision at first base, he’s been trying to find his way back. DJ LeMahieu, we’re all trying to figure out, too. The bottom line is, for instance, those specific guys are really good hitters. But it’s a real grind and a tough season at times. This is part of it. We will grind through it. That’s the bottom line. Living through it doesn’t make it any easier.
“Ultimately, I’ll be happy with their end results. Right now, we’re struggling and have to fight through it.”
Cashman conveyed a lot of optimism during a 15-minute scrum with reporters, as most answers to questions about poor performance generally communicated that the Yankees have been hurt and that players will turn things around. Cashman’s last presser in early May featured similar talking points, yet the Yankees find themselves in a comparable situation more than a month later.
With the team still underperforming and without Aaron Judge again, here are some of the notable takeaways from Cashman’s latest comments.
Judge’s timeline
Asked about Judge’s timeline following a right big toe injury, Cashman said, “I have no clue yet.” Manager Aaron Boone added that the slugger is improving now that he’s a few days removed from a second PRP shot, but Judge hasn’t graduated to baseball activities yet.
Judge has been out since June 3 after hurting his toe on a fence-breaking catch at Dodger Stadium. The play left him with a contusion and sprained ligament.
“It’s a unique injury,” Cashman said. “The most important thing we need to do is make sure that he’s healed when we start to deploy him. We don’t want this thing coming back on us at any point because it wasn’t 110 percent ready to go.
“I remember when we went through the process of collecting all the information from the specialists and talking to Judge and listening to the doctors conveying it to him. I felt like, at least from my chair, I was translating to that this could be longer and we need to be really careful with this because he’s a devoted athlete. He wants to be out there fighting for his team, fighting for our fans, and that’s where missteps can take place. You got to protect the player from themselves. He wants to get out there as soon as he practically can, but he’s got to be smart. We have to be smart about it, too.”
Does lineup need an upgrade
The Yankees entered Tuesday hitting just .195 with a .599 OPS since June 4, their first game without Judge. Those are the worst numbers in baseball, and there have been times — including last year’s second half and postseason — that the lineup hasn’t produced with Judge.
Shouldn’t all that tell Cashman that an upgrade — something he failed to secure over the offseason despite a need in left field — is required?
“We’re always open to additions if it’s a benefit,” he said. “We’ve struggled to score runs, and I know in the wintertime we were looking to see if we could find an outfielder to go with what we already had. But saying it and being able to do it are two different things.”
Cashman noted that the trade deadline is approaching, and he said he knocked on “every door” over the winter. But he also said that unspecified moves were “out of reach, whether it was from a financial standpoint or whether it was a trade prospect cost.”
Cashman also feels that the lineup isn’t too reliant on Judge, and he described the timing of the offense flailing as “more of an aberration.” But this is the second time this season that the Yankees have found it difficult to score with Judge hurt.
The Volpe commitment
The Yankees, including owner Hal Steinbrenner, have reiterated that they always intended to give Anthony Volpe a prolonged opportunity when he made the team out of spring training. It doesn’t sound like that’s changing, even with the rookie shortstop slashing .189/.264/.350 with nine home runs, 27 RBIs and 15 stolen base entering Tuesday’s game.
Cashman suggested that more established hitters should be carrying the offense, not the 22-year-old. He also stated that Volpe will “get his sea legs under him.”
“We have no doubt about that,” Cashman said. “And he’ll join the party as a contributing member more so than not. He’s contributing to us in smaller ways, but there’s obviously a bigger portion of his game that we look forward to seeing as the season plays on. But we’re not shying away from Anthony Volpe. We believe in him. We’re invested in him. And we know that there’s a payoff there for us as long as we walk that tightrope with him.”
However, the Yankees’ continued commitment to the underachieving Volpe comes with fellow shortstop Oswald Peraza thriving at Triple-A. The 22-year-old has been red-hot lately, and he hit .292/.360/.563 with 11 homers, 24 RBIs and 11 stolen bases over 34 minor league games entering Tuesday.
However, Cashman isn’t thinking about a swap.
“That’s not a priority that we’re pursuing or discussing at all,” Cashman said. “We are very happy with Peraza. We feel we have two high-end players. One’s currently playing at the major league level, one is sitting there biding his time at Triple-A. It’s a great situation to be in, especially as we move forward, but no, we’ve got nothing but full support for Volpe as he develops up here and for Peraza as he’s finishing off his development down there.”
Cashman also noted that Peraza has been spending time at second and third base, which brings us to …
Josh Donaldson & DJ Lemahieu
As previously mentioned, Donaldson and LeMahieu are two veterans who simply haven’t hit. Donaldson hasn’t since becoming a Yankee last year.
“Well, I’d like to get him some really consistent at-bats before we try to assess what’s going on,” Cashman said when asked why he believes Donaldson can still provide an impact bat. “Obviously, last year, he had a subpar offensive season, but prior to that, he’s always been an above average offensive player.”
Cashman added that Donaldson dealt with a hamstring injury earlier this year.
LeMahieu didn’t hit last season either while dealing with a foot/toe injury, but the Yankees have insisted that he’s fine now and that health isn’t the cause of his prolonged woes this season.
Instead, Boone and Lawson pointed to an issue with the veteran’s load on Sunday. Cashman did the same Tuesday.
“That might be where the secret sauce is,” the GM said.
LeMahieu was not in the Yankees’ Tuesday lineup, and Boone said he might get another off day on Wednesday.
Understanding fan frustration
While Cashman tried to paint a hopeful picture, he also gets that Yankees fans aren’t happy right now.
“We got a really good team when we’re flying high and playing the way we’re capable of. Right now, we haven’t been doing that and it looks bad, feels bad, it tastes bad,” he said. “No one likes losing. I understand why the fans are upset and not happy with how it’s playing out.”
But Cashman also stressed that there is still a lot of season left to play, and that he likes the core the Yankees have in place when healthy.
“I know there’s frustration outside and frustration inside, but it doesn’t change the fact that we got a lot of belief in who we have here and what they’re capable of. They’ve got our support and we’re going to grind through it with them while we take the slings and arrows that are deservedly coming because of the current stretch we’re on. Ultimately, by the end, I think we’ll be where we need to be.”
