Entering Sept. 8, the New York Yankees sit four games back of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. Moreover, the Yankees are getting Aaron Judge back into their lineup in these final games of the regular season.
If that wasn’t good enough, the Yankees are back home and are opening a three-game series with one of the worst teams in MLB, the Colorado Rockies. Meanwhile, the Rays are having a challenging three-game set with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.
As a result, New York has a real shot at chipping away at this four-game deficit before they meet Tampa Bay for a four-game series later this month on Sept. 22. Ahead of the Rockies series, SNY’s Sal Licata is giving the Yankees a serious shot at overtaking the Rays for the division.
“I know the window is starting to close, with 19 games left, whatever it is, four games back,” Licata said on Sept. 7. “They do play the Rays four times at the stadium. That helps. Their schedule is soft here, coming home to take on the Rockies [and] the Mets. It should be an emotional series: 25 years, 9/11. Still, the Yankees are far better than the Mets, even though they’re playing better. They have the Twins.
“So the Yankees can gain enough ground to where they could go into that series against the Rays maybe just a game or two back. I don’t think it’s solely dependent on Judge, but it’s not going to hurt having Judge’s presence alone, even if he doesn’t produce in that lineup. Combined with their softer schedule, I don’t think the division is over just yet.”
Sal Licata on Aaron Judge’s Return to Yankees Lineup
Moreover, Licata does reveal that he’s cautious about what Judge can bring to the lineup, given that the slugger didn’t have an ordinary rehab process upon returning from his injury.
“We know Aaron Judge, when he plays and he’s healthy, he’s the greatest player that I’ve ever seen,” Licata added. “He hasn’t played in three months. So the expectations to just thrust him back into a playoff push here. We know the Yankees are chasing their division with the Rays. Are we going to expect that Judge is going to be the beast that he usually is? I’m not so sure.
“I think even the fact that people like myself could be uncertain, I think that says a lot. Because when he’s coming back from a normal injury that we had a timeline on, works his way back, rehabs, then you could expect full Aaron Judge. The way that this whole thing went down, I’m not sure how anybody could have the lofty expectations that you should have normally with Aaron Judge returning.”
New York Handed Concerning Postseason Outlook
Whether the Yankees reach the postseason as the AL East winners or via the Wild Card, Chris Gimenez of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM recently stated that he believes that New York has one major weakness on their squad that will prevent them from lifting the World Series title in the fall.
“This is why the Yankees are not going to win a World Series this year,” Gimenez said in an Aug. 15 video from MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. “And this is why the Yankees didn’t win a World Series two years ago.
“It’s not because of a lack of talent. They can’t pitch. No, no, they can’t hit. Their offense, still being what it is without two or three of their best offensive players currently, can still get the job done with that pitching staff. It’s because of the defensive lapses that they’ve had.”
Yankees Delivered Clear Verdict on AL East Hopes Before Rockies Series