Few teams will ever use injuries as an excuse.
From the high school to the professional ranks, that defiance is almost always expressed via the "next man up" mantra, a phrase Yankees fans have seemingly heard on loop the last couple of seasons.
But that doesn't stop the opposition from acknowledging what has become apparent during the five-game losing streak the Yankees bring into this weekend's five-game Subway Series against the Mets: Even the deepest teams run out of depth.
So yes, a lineup with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu appearing regularly in it is, in general, going to hit better than a lineup without them.
Or, as one rival executive put it Thursday, an off day for the Yankees: "Does that really need to be spelled out? You don't just replace bats . No team has that kind of depth. Even them . Regardless ."
Indeed, in 2019 the Yankees somewhat remarkably shrugged off putting a record 30 players on the injured list to go 103-59 and win their first AL East title since 2012.
Quotes that included "next man up" were as commonplace after games as hearing "New York, New York" over the Stadium speakers as a stable of reserves such as Mike Tauchman, Cameron Maybin, Thairo Estrada and Mike Ford _ just to name a handful _ stepped in for stars and produced.
That kind of bench production again was the case early in 2020 as the injuries mounted, but that has stalled during a five-game skid that has dropped the Yankees into second place in the AL East, 2 { games behind the Rays entering Thursday night.
"We have to just continue to grind through a tough spell right now and just collectively, up and down, just be ready to have really good at-bats starting again Friday," Aaron Boone said.
Boone spoke Wednesday night after his club was swept by the Braves in a doubleheader in Atlanta, managing two runs and seven hits across 14 innings. During this slide the Yankees are hitting .181 (26-for-144) with six homers and a dreadful .604 OPS. Part of that futility, of course, can be chalked up to the quality arms the Braves and, before them, the Rays, possess.
But it is also, in the words of one AL scout "just as obvious" the lineup has missed Judge, Stanton, Torres and LeMahieu. Judge, previously on the IL with a left calf strain, returned for the 2-1 loss in the nightcap but was pulled in the sixth inning when the calf area "tightened up," Boone said. The manager said "it's possible" regarding another IL stint for Judge, who was to be evaluated again Thursday (the Yankee did not provide an update).
The timelines for Torres, put on the IL Aug. 21 with left hamstring/quad strains, Stanton (Aug. 9 with a left hamstring strain) and LeMahieu (Aug. 16 with a sprained left thumb) remain up in the air. The initial prognosis given for Torres was in the range of 2-3 weeks and indications are that there have been no setbacks in his rehab to change that. Boone has said Stanton and LeMahieu are "doing well," and each is steadily increasing his baseball activities, but there are no firm timetables.
Which means more reliance on the bench as the scheduled is at the early stages of a brutal stretch _ one that, starting Wednesday, was to have the Yankees play 35 games in the span of 33 days, a period that included Wednesday's doubleheader as well as doubleheaders Friday and Sunday against the Mets and another Sept. 4 at Baltimore.
"It's been a challenging year for everyone," Boone said Wednesday, speaking generally of the 2020 season. "We all know that. You've got to be able to continue to roll with the punches. There's been a lot of unexpected things around every corner and you've got to be able to handle them and still go out and be able to effectively do your job and do what it takes to win ballgames."
