Have the Yankees been eliminated from playoff contention? Exploring AL East bottom dwellers' postseason baseball chances
The New York Yankees are enduring one of their worst seasons in almost three decades, with their ongoing eight-game losing streak highlighting the woes of Aaron Boone's team.
The Yankees were a promising team in 2017, when they had some of the most exciting talents in their ranks. While Aaron Judge has lived up to that promise, things are looking grim for an aging squad.
Boone's team are in last place in the American League East and are on track to miss the postseason for the first time since 2016. While they are not officially out of the race, Fangraphs' assessment gave them a lowly 0.4% chance of even claiming a wildcard spot.
So if you are a Yankees fan, hope for a miracle or two because the team from the Bronx are favorites to miss this year's postseason. As fans witness the slim hopes disappearing with each game, New York Post's Jon Heyman feels that there is still a glimmer of hope for the Yanks:
"Their chances of even reaching the postseason now are listed at 0.5 percent, which makes me think that they might still have a 0.1 percent chance of winning the World Series. After all, if they make the postseason from here, they’d have to be presumed to be the hottest thing on this hot planet."
The Yankees call up prospects to end losing streak against the Washington Nationals
The Bronx Bombers lost narrowly on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox to hand the visitors a series sweep. The team's eighth successive loss is their longest losing streak in the past 28 years and pretty much sums up its MLB season.
What went wrong for the Yankees? The team with the second-highest payroll in the MLB. Aaron Judge's injury might feel like an easy answer at this point, but it isn't. Despite Judge's return, the Yankees have looked toothless and seem devoid of confidence.
The reigning AL MVP is still nowhere near 100%, and the same goes for Giancarlo Stanton. In order to rediscover its form, Boone's team has decided to call up young prospects Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza.
The Bronx Bombers will play against the Washinton Nationals in the first game of the series at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, August 22.