New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter is hopeful that the reigning American League East champions can turn around their slow start to the season.
The injury-hit Yankees sit third in the AL East with a 41-33 record 74 games into the 2023 season. They are nine-and-a-half games back of the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
It is a far cry from last year. Only the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros stopped them in the AL Championship Series with an emphatic four-game series sweep. They have never looked the same since that postseason exit, and injuries to star players have only compounded the situation. But Jeter is not ready to write them off just yet.
"They’re almost at the [All-Star] break, so there are a lot of games left," Jeter told FOX Sports. "I remember last year…when the Yankees had gotten off to the huge start that they had, and they started comparing last year’s team to the ‘98 team. And I said, there’s a long way to go then, too."
"You never know what's going to happen over the course of a season. They’re just fine from a timing perspective, but I think it’s something they should take day to day.
"I don’t think anyone in the Yankee organisation is just gonna sit there and say, ‘Hey we just gotta get into the playoffs.’ I just think that’s the wrong mentality to have."
Jeter added: "Our group made it look like it was easy to win. It’s not easy to win. A lot of things have to go your way in order to win.
"When we won in ‘96, it had been 18 years since they won. And then, in 2000, it took us nine more years to win again. It’s difficult to do. I know Yankee fans are on edge, and they’re getting a little impatient, but that’s what makes it great playing in New York."
Jeter won five World Series in total across 20 years with the Yankees. However, the franchise has not won one since the last of those in 2009 or even reached the World Series since the 14-time All-Star retired in 2014.
Such optimism from Jeter could prove prescient, with Judge showing encouraging signs as he recovers from a unique right big toe injury. It comes after the star outfielder received a second platelet-rich plasma shot which has helped him move closer to a return.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters this week: "I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing and conversations with him. I feel like he feels there was a little bit of a breakthrough with that."
Judge has been out since June 3 after crashing full-speed into a bullpen gate at Dodger Stadium while making a catch during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The swelling has since subsided, but he has not resumed baseball activities despite the progress.
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