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The New York Yankees have a season-worst seven-game losing streak.
Several of their players were sickened by food poisoning.
Captain Aaron Judge had to call out the teams lack of focus.
The clubs top pitching prospect, Carlos Lagrange, was shut down with shoulder concerns.
It cant get much worse.
Or can it? Advertisement The Yankees will try to turn their luck with the start of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins on Friday at Yankee Stadium.
Beat reporters Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner break down the latest around the team.
What worries you the most? It wasnt just bad that Judge had to point out to his teammates their lack of focus.
It was also alarming that he had to call them out publicly.
Judge is a quiet leader.
For Judge to say that, it must have felt undeniable to him.
Judge knows whats going on with the team.
He has been in the dugout for all these games.
Hes had a front-row seat to the errors, the mental mistakes and the bad at-bats.
It must drive him crazy not to be able to lead by example and show everyone how its done.
For me, the lack of focus became apparent after starting pitcher Ryan Weathers put the Yankees in a 5-0 hole over two innings Monday.
Immediately, his teammates seemed flat in the field and at the plate, and Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize wrecked them.
Asked if it felt like the deficit had taken the air out of the Yankees at the time, manager Aaron Boone tried to talk around it, but his team looked deflated.
Kuty I know this might seem wild to many people reading this, but I dont have many long-term concerns about this club.
Sure, its been playing horrifically over the past week.
But people have to decide if the offense is the version that posted a 114 wRC+ (third-best in MLB) in the first 79 games and 2,994 plate appearances or the offense that posted a 14 wRC+ (worst) in the past seven games and 244 plate appearances.
The bigger concern right now is that I dont think the bullpen is championship-caliber, and its mostly been a non-issue during this poor stretch outside of Camilo Dovals meltdown on Wednesday.
If its October and the bullpen doors swing open and Doval comes jogging out, would you trust him? I think not.
Kirschner Advertisement When Judge cited a lack of focus, what do you think he meant specifically? I wouldnt be surprised if Judge kept one eye on Jazz Chisholm Jr.
when he delivered that message to the team.
Chisholm played an inning at second base with a lollipop in his mouth on June 22 in Detroit a move that Boone said bothered him.
Then, Chisholm got ejected Sunday for slamming his helmet after arguing a checked-swing strike-three call in the sixth inning of a game the Yankees were losing by only two runs to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
After the Yankees eventually lost, he ducked reporters, too.
In both instances, Chisholm failed to read the room.
The Yankees need leadership on the field with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined.
Chisholm continues to fail to provide it.
Kuty The whole team hasnt been playing sound baseball over the last week.
Because of necessity, several players have been playing out of position.
The overall defense has taken a hit.
The lack of focus also extends to management.
The Yankees had an opportunity to end their six-game losing streak on Wednesday, and Boone failed to use a pinch hitter for Oswaldo Cabrera, who likely will be optioned to the minor leagues when Ryan McMahon is activated off the injured list.
Those are simple moves that need to be executed; instead, the Yankees are in the middle of their longest losing streak since 2023.
Kirschner How do they snap out of it? The starting pitching should be able to help bail them out, the way it has for much of the season though its struggled of late.
They will start Gerrit Cole on Friday and Carlos Rodon on Saturday against the Twins.
One of them should be able to pitch the Yankees to a win, even if the offense doesnt suddenly roar back to life.
Even with a surprise stinker from Cam Schlittler on Tuesday, and with Weathers and Will Warren struggling in June after impressive performances in April and May, the Yankees still feel any starter they put on the mound should give them a chance to win.
Whether the lineup and bullpen live up to their ends of the deal is another topic.
Kuty The Yankees should get relief with Trent Grisham and McMahon both expected back for Fridays game.
At a minimum, it should stabilize the defense.
Having Grisham in center field will help Cody Bellinger stay in left field, where hes been the best defender in MLB.
Advertisement Realistically, the Yankees offense cannot continue being historically bad.
Nearly every hitter is slumping at the same time, which is a case of pressing for results, something Judge pointed out.
Its not like the Yankees suddenly forgot how to hit.
Theyll eventually return to being one of the better offenses in the sport.
But its impossible to predict when that will happen.
Clearly, though, the Yankees could use some upgrades before the trade deadline.
They must upgrade at catcher.
Austin Wells might be a good defender, but his offense makes him nearly unplayable.
He is having one of the worst seasons by a Yankee in franchise history.
They also could use an upgrade at shortstop, as I dont believe Anthony Volpe or Jose Caballero is the short- or long-term answer.
Whether George Lombard Jr.
is the answer remains to be seen, but while fans argue over the two options on the roster, the Yankees should be looking beyond them.
Kirschner.