3 slumping New York Yankees players who need to improve the most
The New York Yankees have struggled since July. The Yankees are 2-8 in their last 10 games and are 15-22 since the beginning of July. They have won only one of their last six series, and that was against the rebuilding Kansas City Royals. The pressure is building on Aaron Boone and the players.
The team recently lost their first-place American League standing to the Houston Astros. They had held that position since April 27. The New York Yankees have dropped to fourth in the league standings behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (79-34) and New York Mets (75-40).
Injuries are partly to blame for the downfall of the New York Yankees organization. Giancarlo Stanton (achilles), Anthony Rizzo (back), Matt Carpenter (foot), and Michael King (elbow) are key figures on the injured list.
On July 2nd, the Yankees had a 58-21 record. Since then, they've gone 14-22. 👀 https://t.co/m2wr9t1jgR
"On July 2nd, the Yankees had a 58-21 record. Since then, they've gone 14-22." - Baseball Reference
The New York Yankees' problems are bigger than injuries, though. The team has looked dysfunctional since the All-Star break and has been heavily reliant on Aaron Judge. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been hot and cold. Aroldis Chapman hasn't looked the same since returning from injury. Those two, however, are not slumping as badly as some of the others.
#3 Aaron Hicks
Aaron Hicks has been inconsistent all season long. With outfielder Stanton on the sidelines and Andrew Benintendi adjusting to life in the Big Apple, Hicks has been handed more responsibility. Unfortunately, the veteran has underperformed.
When does the Aaron Hicks experience end?
"When does the Aaron Hicks experience end?" - Randy Wilkins
With the departure of Joey Gallo, Hicks has the third-lowest batting average (.220) on the team for players with 30 or more games. Only Kyle Higashioka (.197) and Marwin Gonzalez (.215) have lower averages. Hicks is 5-39 in August with only two runs. He has played 11 games in that period, has not hit a home run, and has just one RBI. In that period, he has a .128 batting average.
This is Hicks' 10th season in the majors, and the team expects more from the veteran. If he hopes to return for an 11th season in the MLB, his numbers have to improve drastically.
#2 Jonathan Loaisiga
Jonathan Loaisiga was a pitcher the organization had high hopes for as a young prospect. The New York Yankees signed Loaisiga from the San Francisco Giants in 2016 and hoped by now he would've developed into a premier pitcher. He started 11 games with the Yankees between 2018-2020 with some success but was eventually moved to the bullpen.
Since returning from injury, Loaisiga has been subpar. The right-handed Nicaraguan is 1-3 on the season with a whopping 6.31 ERA. He is averaging less than a strikeout per inning and has a 1.60 WHIP. He has given up five runs and 11 hits in the nine innings he pitched in July and August.
Loaisiga was also credited with the loss against the Seattle Mariners in the 13-inning game. A total of eight New York Yankees pitched in that game; Loaisiga was the ony one to give up a run.
#1 Josh Donaldson
There was a brief spell in early August where Donaldson seemed to be turning the corner after a poor start to the season. He does, however, warrant a place on this list mostly due to the high expectations New York Yankees fans had for the 2015 AL MVP. Josh Donaldson was the big move of the off-season but has failed to live up to the hype.
Donaldson is batting .224/.306./.389 on the season with a .695 OPS. His 11 home runs in 94 games this season is disappointing for a player who hit 29, 41, 37, 33, 37, and 26 in previous seasons. He is second in the team in strikeouts (108), behind only Aaron Judge, who has 77 more at-bats to his name.
The New York Yankees offense is struggling with injuries. Donaldson was expected to be protection for Judge and D.J. LeMahieu at the top of the lineup. He is yet to reach his previous highs since his arrival in New York and will need to do better if this team is to make a deep playoff run.