3 underperforming Yankees stars need to figure it out before the discussion becomes toxic

For a brief moment, the New York Yankees seemed to have everything under control.

And their flaws were obscured by the fact that they were 12-3. However, a three-game losing streak will begin to expose the flaws, and fans have begun to complain about a few things that were not quite up to par.

The bullpen is a “problem,” but there is time to work it out. Guys are expected to return, and the trade deadline allows for last-minute tweaks. It’s not the end of the world.

The rotation has held up well. Though we’d like to see more from Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes, they’ve shown indications of improvement and will hopefully have Gerrit Cole by their side again in June. Overall, do not panic. Yet.

What about the lineup? Yeah, many of the same problems persist year after year. They continue to struggle with runners in scoring position. They’re still turning a lot of double plays (leading the league with 21). They aren’t exactly “slugging” (.384 slugging percentage is 17th in MLB).

All of this could be due to a number of players that struggled early on. And these folks were supposed to be front-line contributors. Fortunately, we’re not talking about Juan Soto or Aaron Judge (though we do need more from him), but it’s time these men woke up and smelled coffee.

3 struggling Yankees players who need to figure it out before discourse goes south

Austin Wells

He is still a rookie. With Jose Trevino as the starting catcher, he doesn’t get much playing time. There are reasonable reasons why Austin Wells hasn’t been on track offensively right away, despite the fact that he finished his 2023 campaign on a promising note.

But.103 batting average?.347 OPS? 5 OPS+? No extra-base hits? He appeared in 11 games and batted 37 times. He’s got three singles.

What about the positives? He has six walks and four runs scored, with only six strikeouts. And his Baseball-Savant page is unusually crimson. So something has to give here. Just something. Wells cannot be hitting rock bottom with these numbers in such a key developmental year.

It’s challenging enough to play in New York. It’s even more difficult when you’re a promising young player trying to make your way.

Anthony Rizzo

It turns out that Anthony Rizzo’s destruction of baseballs during spring training didn’t matter. Well, we’ll continue to believe it was a positive development given how significantly his cognitive disability contributed to his spectacular offensive spiral in 2023.

But 2024 has not made much of a difference. We say this because the new-look Yankees lineup was meant to help Rizzo see more pitches and select his positions more effectively. What was the result? Rizzo is hitting.243 and slugging.314. Yes, he was robbed twice Tuesday night courtesy to web gems from the Blue Jays defense, but his two-run homer against Toronto ten days ago was his only significant offensive contribution in a win.

He has also made four errors in 18 games this season, after making four in his previous 92. I’m not sure what the official scorers are doing this season.

Whether you take it away or keep it, Rizzo’s defense has been subpar. And his offense has been nonexistent. After disappearing in the second part of 2022, having his 2023 season interrupted by injury, and now having an extraordinarily poor start to 2024, he’s on track to have his team option declined in the offseason if this trend continues.

Gleyber Torres

The Gleyber fans can’t believe it. How could anyone possible criticize him? He rebounded last year, finishing with a 118 OPS+! He is theoretically one of the top middle infielders in the game! Yes, if you look at the surface statistics. And consider how few second basemen are truly above-average players.

Torres should not be assessed differently because his position is historically weak. It certainly helps his case in contract negotiations, but when you look at the sum of a team’s elements, everyone simply needs to be doing their job efficiently. Torres doesn’t do that.

He frequently experiences mental lapses. He’ll make a fantastic defensive play, then boot an easy grounder or airmail a throw to first base. And, before you ask, no, those acts do not cancel themselves out. It’s almost preferable if he keeps his head in the game, takes the easy route, and doesn’t tantalize us with exceptional web treasures. It would actually benefit the Yankees in the long term.

However, Yankees fans have come to accept the situation. Inconsistent defense will always be a part of his game. What about the offense? This was his calling card. And it largely faded between 2020 and 2022. His turnaround in 2023 gave supporters hope that he’d be ready for a big contract year, but he’s only hitting.206/.321/.235 with no home runs, two RBI, and 17 strikeouts in 82 plate appearances. He’s looked confused at the plate, like Rizzo, despite the lineup improving 100fold around him.

Torres cannot be in the headlines for the wrong reason. He’s had difficulties dealing with it mentally in the past, and there’s no reason to expect it to change now that the heat is on in a World Series-or-bust contract year.

It’s only April, but the continuous discussion must stop before it jeopardizes Torres’ entire season.

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