The New York Yankees have been in a downward spiral since the end of May, plummeting from a seven-game lead in the American League East as late as May 28, to 5 1/2 games out, in third place, heading into Sunday’s series finale against the Houston Astros.
At the July 31 trade deadline, and in the week leading up to it, the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman made an all-out attempt to rescue the season by adding not just one or two but seven new players to the roster.
So far, the results have not been spectacular. Despite the flurry of trades, the Yankees‘ season remains on shaky ground.
Yankees Keep Losing After Trade Deadline
In the eight games since the deadline passed, the Yankees won only two while losing six, including their first five coming out of the July 31 frenzy. But the disappointments surrounding the trade deadline acquisitions go beyond the team’s won-loss results.
As of Sunday morning, two of the acquisitions have been placed on the injured list, another optioned to the minor leagues, while two of the high-leverage relievers picked up in trades have struggled.
The latest bad news came on Sunday morning, when the Yankees announced that versatile utilityman Amed Rosario, who was acquired on July 26, will need to spend at least 10 days on the injured list.
The Yankees recalled catcher J.C. Escarra from Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Rosario was put on the IL.
In Friday night’s extra-innings loss to the Astros at Yankee Stadium, Rosario while manning right field in the 10th inning, crashed into the wall attempting to catch a fly ball. The 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic stayed down on the field for several minutes as trainers tended to him.
Rosario Diagnosed With SC Joint Sprain
Rosario left the field walking unaided, but on Sunday the Yankees announced that their recent acquisition had suffered “a left SC joint sprain” and would be placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 9. The earliest he would be eligible to return would be August 19, when the Yankees travel to Tampa Bay for a brief, two-game set against the Rays.
The SC, or sternoclavicular joint, connects the clavicle to the sternum.
The latest discouraging injury announcement comes just two days after the Yankees announced that another trade deadline pickup, Austin Slater formerly of the Chicago White Sox, would miss four to six weeks with hamstring strain.
Yankees Bad Luck With Trade Acquisitions
On August 5, righty reliever Jake Bird — acquired from the Colorado Rockies — had been demoted to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
To get Bird, the Yankees sent their former No. 19 ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, infielder Roc Riggio to the Rockies, along with righty pitcher Ben Shields. Riggio is now ranked 11th on the Rockies’ prospect list, Shields 26th.
Acquiring Rosario required the Yankees to send righty Clayton Beeter to the Washington Nationals. Beeter had struggled in limited action with the Yankees in 2025 and last year as well. In two innings over a pair of appearances for the Nationals, he has allowed one run and struck out three.
Beeter is ranked as the No. 23 Nationals prospect.
Rosario told MLB.com that he expects to return to the Yankees active roster after only the minimum time on the IL.
“I remember everything about the play. I started running real fast to catch that ball. I didn’t calculate the distance correctly, and then I hit the wall hard,” he said following Friday’s game, through an interpreter.
Latest Yankees Concerning Announcement Casts More Doubt on Rest of Season