The New York Yankees have built their identity around Aaron Judge for years. When he is locked in, the offense hums. When he struggles, the cracks in the lineup become impossible to ignore.
Right now, the cracks are showing everywhere.
New York has lost 10 of their last 15 games and sit 5.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the division, a season-worst deficit. The offense that looked dangerous earlier in the year has gone quiet at a critical point in the season.
Judge in the Midst of Career-Worst Stretch
GettyAaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
According to researcher Katie Sharp, Judge is currently in an 11-game streak without an RBI, the longest such drought of his entire major league career. Over his last 15 games, he is hitting just .179 with three extra-base hits and 21 strikeouts. After Friday’s hitless night against the Rays, he has just one hit in his last 23 at-bats.
Manager Aaron Boone remained measured after Friday’s 2-run loss. “I thought we swung the bats well,” Boone said, pointing to the quality of contact as a reason for cautious optimism despite another quiet night on the scoreboard.
The Bigger Problem Beyond Judge for the Yankees
Judge’s slump is the headline, but the deeper issue is what has happened to the bottom half of the Yankees’ lineup over the last two weeks. Prior to May 8, New York’s bottom five hitters ranked sixth in the majors in OPS. Since that date, they have dropped to 24th, with the bottom third of the lineup ranking second-to-last in the category.
In 13 games since May 8, New York has reached six runs just three times.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has shown signs of life at the plate after a slow start. A healthy Jose Caballero could provide a boost. The pieces are there for a turnaround. They just need to come together at the same time.
Reason for Cautious Optimism
GettyYankees manager Aaron Boone.
Judge has been here before. Two years ago, he went through a similarly rough start to the season before heating up in mid-May and carrying the Yankees through a strong stretch. His fastball slugging percentage is down from last season but his ability to punish hard pitches has not disappeared entirely.
The underlying contact quality on Friday suggested the swing is closer to right than the numbers indicate. Sometimes the hits simply do not fall. That is cold comfort over an 11-game stretch, but it is context worth noting.
The Yankees need their best player back. The division race is tightening and the margin for error is shrinking.
Final Word for the Yankees
Judge has never gone this long without an RBI in his career. That is a notable milestone for all the wrong reasons.
The Yankees need him to turn it around. The lineup needs him to turn it around. The division standings are making that urgency very clear.
Yankees Get Alarming Aaron Judge Update After Career-Worst Stretch