CAN THE YANKEES WIN WITHOUT THEIR LEADER?

It's a legitimate question. Aaron Judge is the leader of this team, he's the heart and soul of it. Aaron Boone is just a clueless mouthpiece. Who are the Yankees without Judge? They are a team with a ton of holes that are left for the entire world to see season after season. They are a roster full of guys that should've been replaced at the trade deadline, DFA'd, sent down the minors....it's an endless list.

So can the Yankees win without Judge? We've watched what the team does when Judge isn't on the field and it's A LOT less. I hate to think that the Yankees are just a shell of a team without him, but the more I think about the more I have to be honest and say no.

At this point, it feels like the absolute best-case scenario is we get Judge back on the field in August. A lot can happen between now and then and it leaves a lot of time for the weakness of this team to be exposed. It also means the starting pitching needs to work even harder to hold games close. They've done it well so far but it adds more pressure to a team that is already working with a shorter bench.

The starting rotation is legit and we have much better odds with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon back in action but can anyone really see this team trying to emphasize more of a strategy off small-ball offense without big bats? I don't see that. They've never cared about small ball or even good fundamentals so I am not feeling great that they can do it now with an emphasis on run prevention. I don't see that happening and it's an even bigger task with a huge strikeout guy like Spencer Jones filling in. Pretending the Yankees have the length and offense they need without Judge just isn't sane. Judge has single handedly made them LOOK like a better team than they really are for years now. Take him out of the lineup and this team is much less productive.

Perhaps the part I like the least about this indefinite injury to Judge is we have already had the Rays on our tail all season, and we are still tied with them but the uncertainty of Judge and his timeline means the AL East just became more interesting. Instead of this being a race against the Rays, teams under .500 suddenly have the option to become buyers at the trade deadline instead of sellers. Sure, Toronto and Baltimore are 7 and 8 games behind now, but if the Yankees go in a downward spiral then those bottom feeding teams can make up some ground. I could see it happening....I don't want to, but it's not impossible.

This team has been constructed poorly for years now. Brian Cashman hasn't been able to put together a real championship caliber team. Now without Judge, I feel like that will only become magnified. If it does, we won't be able to ignore it, Yankee brass won't be able to deny it but they won't change anything.

This team cannot afford to be without Judge. He is the hard and soul to the whole operation. I don't care how weak the rest of the American League is....the Yankees without Judge is an entirely different team.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MR. .200

For years, Yankees fans have been told to ignore what they were watching. Every time Anthony Volpe struggled, there was always another explanation waiting around the corner. It was his shoulder. It was bad luck. It was mechanics. It was confidence. It was timing. It was everything except the possibility that the Yankees may have simply gotten this one wrong. Well, here we are in June of 2026, and the excuses are finally running out.

As of June 7, Volpe is batting .222. Against right-handed pitching, the numbers are downright alarming. He's hitting just .167 with 12 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances. Those aren't the numbers of a franchise cornerstone. Those aren't the numbers of a player turning the corner. Those are the numbers of a hitter who continues to get exposed by major league pitching.

The funny part is that we all knew this was coming.

Just a few weeks ago, Volpe got off to another one of his patented hot starts. Predictably, the usual crowd started celebrating. Social media was flooded with "he's finally figured it out" takes. The Yankees broadcast crew started talking about growth. Aaron Boone was giddy.  He practically looked ready to nominate him for the Hall of Fame. But anyone paying attention knew exactly how this story would end because we've watched the same movie for three years.

Volpe gets hot. The Yankees declare victory. Pitchers adjust. Volpe struggles. The Yankees invent excuses. Repeat. We wrote about it in DON'T BE FOOLED BY VOLPE'S HOT START.

At some point, a pattern stops being a coincidence and starts becoming reality. Major league pitchers have figured Anthony Volpe out. They attack him with velocity at the top of the zone and breaking balls moving away from him. They know he chases. They know he swings through pitches. They know where the holes are. The book on Volpe isn't exactly classified information anymore. Every team in baseball has it.

What's truly remarkable isn't that pitchers adjusted. That's baseball. The remarkable part is that neither Volpe nor the Yankees coaching staff have been able to adjust back.

If Volpe were the elite player Aaron Boone constantly claims he is, we would see counters. We would see growth. We would see evolution. Instead, we see the same weaknesses year after year. At some point, the conversation has to move beyond potential and focus on production.

Then came Friday night's loss to Boston, which perfectly summed up the entire Volpe experience. The Yankees trailed by two runs in the ninth inning against Aroldis Chapman. They needed baserunners. They needed urgency. They needed somebody willing to compete.

Volpe watched three straight strikes go by.

Three.

Didn't swing. Didn't battle. Didn't even make Chapman work. If you're trying to come back in a baseball game, you have to swing the damn bat. Yet somehow, every time Volpe fails, we're told not to believe our own eyes.

Meanwhile, José Caballero continues doing what winning baseball players do. No, he's not a superstar. He isn't appearing in promotional campaigns. He wasn't marketed as the future captain of the Yankees. He's simply producing. Caballero is hitting .259 with a .314 on-base percentage and a .392 slugging percentage. He steals bases. He creates chaos. He plays excellent defense all over the diamond. He does the little things that help teams win games.

Imagine that. A player being judged by performance instead of prospect rankings. At this point, Caballero should remain the Yankees' everyday shortstop. Not because he's a future MVP candidate, but because he's currently the better player. That's supposed to matter on a team that claims to be chasing championships.

Unfortunately, championships don't appear to be the Yankees' top priority anymore. Protecting narratives seems far more important.

The Yankees didn't just draft Anthony Volpe. They fell in love with Anthony Volpe. Read: HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT. As we discussed in our article, the organization became emotionally attached to proving they were right. Once that happened, objective evaluation disappeared.

Every flaw became explainable. Every concern became unfair criticism. Every failure came with a built-in excuse. The Yankees didn't develop a player. They developed a storyline. And nobody appears more obsessed with keeping that storyline alive than Aaron Boone.

Boone talks about Volpe as if he's describing a player the rest of baseball can somehow see only through special Yankees-issued glasses. Boone continues treating Volpe like an untouchable star despite years of evidence suggesting he's simply an average player struggling to hold down a premium position. The obsession has become weird, and impossible to ignore.

Fans have watched this front office spend years forcing players onto the roster while insisting everything is fine. Now they're trying the same playbook with Volpe and Austin Wells. The organization keeps selling development projects while simultaneously talking about winning championships.

The fans aren't buying it. We're tired of it. Nobody is paying major league ticket prices to watch prospects learn on the job and if you are, shame on you. I am not interested in another five-year development plan. Yankees fans want championships. We want the best players on the field. We want accountability. We want results.

Most importantly, We are tired of being told that what they're seeing isn't real. Anthony Volpe's struggles aren't about a shoulder. They're not about bad luck. They're not about timing.

They're about a player who was overhyped, over drafted, overprotected, and overpromoted by an organization desperate to prove it made the right choice. The reality is becoming harder to ignore with every passing game. The Yankees bet big on Anthony Volpe becoming the face of their future.

But in the end, he's just a .200 hitter and that's the truth.

BEN RICE CAN'T BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE

When the Yankees decided to bring Paul Goldschmidt back for 2026, it was difficult to find fault with the move. Goldschmidt came with a résumé that spoke for itself. He was a former MVP, a respected veteran, a proven run producer, and one of the smartest players in the game. The Yankees weren’t asking him to be the centerpiece of the offense. They simply needed him to provide stability at first base while helping bridge the gap to the next generation of players. Last year with him wasn't great, but perhaps he would do alittle better this year. At the time, it seemed like a sensible plan.

Three months later, that plan doesn’t look nearly as solid. The issue isn’t that Goldschmidt has been a disaster. He hasn’t. He still has value as a defender, he remains a professional hitter, and his presence in the clubhouse is unquestionably respected. The problem is that the Yankees suddenly need more than what Goldschmidt is providing.

As the calendar turns to June, the Yankees find themselves facing an uncomfortable reality. The catcher position has become a major concern. Offensive production behind the plate has been inconsistent, and the organization has already begun making roster adjustments in search of answers.

Meanwhile, Ben Rice has emerged as one of the most productive hitters on the roster.

That’s where things become complicated.

Rice was originally viewed as a versatile young player who could move around the diamond while developing into an everyday contributor. Now he has become far too important offensively to sit on the bench. His bat needs to be in the lineup every single day.

But where exactly should he play?  The obvious answer would seem to be first base. Rice looks increasingly comfortable there, and many believe it is his long-term position.  The other possibility is catcher.

Yankee fans have seen Rice behind the plate, and from the eye test alone, he's better than the catchers we have.  And so, the problem is simple.

He can’t catch and play first base at the same time.

That is why the Goldschmidt situation has become more significant than many expected. That's why the catching situation is a huge failure by the Yankees front office. The Yankees signed Goldschmidt because they believed he would provide certainty. Instead, his presence has become part of a larger roster puzzle.

If Goldschmidt were delivering impact production every day, the Yankees could comfortably leave him at first base and use Rice for catching help. But if his performance remains merely adequate rather than difference-making, the equation changes.

Now the Yankees have to ask a difficult question: Where do you put Rice full time?

If the answer is yes, then the catcher position becomes an even bigger issue. Look, this is not necessarily an indictment of Goldschmidt. In many ways, he has been exactly what the Yankees thought they were signing: a veteran presence who can still contribute and help a contending team.

The problem is that the Yankees’ needs have changed. When the season began, first base appeared settled. Catcher appeared manageable, according to the Yankees, even though us fans knew otherwise. Rice was just viewed as a useful player. He's become better than they thought. Rice IS one of the lineup’s most important players. Catcher looks unsettled. First base no longer feels like a position with a clear long-term answer.

But baseball has a funny way of changing the conversation. As the trade deadline slowly approaches, the Yankees may find themselves searching for help at catcher, help at first base, or perhaps both.

And that’s the last situation they expected to be in, but again, for us fans, we saw it coming.

Stay tuned. It's going to get interesting.

THEORY: YANKS HIDING WELLS UNTIL HEAT IS OFF

The Yankees’ catching situation just took another sharp turn, with Austin Wells suddenly being placed on the injured list right as the Yanks were about to play the Sox today. Officially, the move is being attributed to injury—reports have referenced a physical issue that required him to be shut down,“cervical headaches” to be exact. But it is my opinion that the timing is familiar.

Because let’s be honest about the context here: Wells has been taking a beating in the court of public opinion. His offensive production has been inconsistent, his bat has not lived up to expectations, and the fan base has been increasingly vocal about it. I think he's horrible. I'm not sugarcoating it. When a young player struggles in New York, it doesn’t stay quiet for long—and Wells was firmly in that spotlight.

That’s where the skepticism starts to creep in. This is not the first time the Yankees have suddenly leaned on an “injury explanation” during a period of underperformance and fan pressure. Last season, Anthony Volpe endured prolonged stretches of offensive struggles, and then—almost out of nowhere—he was placed on the injured list. The explanation at the time didn’t exactly come with a clear, obvious injury narrative that fans could easily point to, in fact out of no where the Yankees narrative was Volpe suddenly had a shoulder injury, and to me, it left a lingering sense that something else might have been going on behind the scenes.

Whether you agreed with that interpretation or not, the pattern is what sticks in my mind.

So now with Wells, the reaction is similar: the official report says injury, but the timing lines up a little too neatly with a player under heavy scrutiny and a fan base that has already begun turning on him. That combination inevitably leads to questions—fair or not—about transparency and messaging.

The Yankees organization has always been aggressive about controlling narratives. Sometimes that’s just smart roster management and protecting players. Other times, it creates the perception that information is being selectively framed depending on performance, pressure, or roster convenience. And once that perception takes hold, it becomes hard to shake.

To be clear, there is no concrete evidence suggesting Wells is not actually dealing with something physical. Injuries in baseball are constant, often vague, and frequently underexplained in real time. Catchers especially take a beating over a long season. But in a market like New York—where every slump is magnified and every roster move is dissected—the benefit of the doubt doesn’t come easy anymore.

So fans are left where they often are with this team: reading between the lines.

Maybe Wells is legitimately hurt and this is just another unfortunate break in a difficult season. Or maybe it’s simply the Yankees doing what they’ve done before—quietly reshaping the roster narrative while trying to protect a struggling player from an even harsher spotlight.

Either way, trust is always the subtext with this franchise now.

Stay tuned.

OUR CATCHING DISASTER ISN'T AN ACCIDENT, IT'S FRONT OFFICE INCOMPETENCE

The Yankees' catching situation is not bad luck. It isn't a temporary slump. It isn't a "small sample size."

It's the predictable result of years of poor roster construction, blind organizational arrogance, and a front office that seems far more interested in winning press conferences than winning championships.

Let's stop pretending otherwise gang. For years, Yankees executives have sold fans on prospects before those prospects have actually accomplished anything. They've become experts at marketing potential while avoiding accountability for results. They did it with Anthony Volpe. Now they've done it with Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra.

Fans were told these catchers represented the future. What future? The numbers are staring everyone in the face. Escarra was hitting .186. Wells sits at .173. ONE SEVENTY-THREE. Think about that.

Those aren't "developing" numbers. Those aren't "future All-Star" numbers. Those aren't even acceptable backup catcher numbers. Those are numbers that get players replaced on serious championship contenders.

But this is where the Yankees have become masters of creating their own problems. Instead of addressing the issue years ago, they convinced themselves they were smarter than everyone else. They convinced themselves that production would magically appear because their internal evaluations said it would. It didn't and it hasn't. And now we're watching the consequences.

The Yankees finally acknowledged the problem by sending Escarra back to Triple-A and bringing up Ali Sánchez. But let's not pretend that move fixes anything.

Ali Sánchez isn't some hidden superstar waiting to save the season. He's simply the latest patch being applied to a leak that should have been repaired long ago. This isn't a catcher problem. It's a Yankee organization problem.

Good front offices identify weaknesses before they become emergencies. The Yankees wait until the house is already on fire before reaching for a garden hose. And this isn't limited to catcher.

This roster has warning signs everywhere. The Yankees have built a team that looks impressive on paper because the top of the roster contains recognizable names. That's great for television commercials. It's great for ticket sales. It's great for social media graphics. It's terrible for surviving a 162-game season.

Championship teams aren't built with stars alone. They're built with layers. They're built with contingency plans. They're built with quality depth. The Yankees have repeatedly ignored that reality. If one or two key players go down, entire sections of this roster become exposed. There are too many positions where the drop-off from starter to backup is enormous.

There are too many positions where the Yankees are hoping rather than planning. Hope is not roster construction. Hope is what organizations rely on when they don't have answers.

For years, the Yankees have operated as though they can outsmart basic baseball principles. They pour resources into analytics, endless projections, and theoretical upside while often ignoring the obvious flaws visible to everyone else. The result? A roster that constantly feels one injury away from a crisis. Look at the Judge situation. And now the bench that lacks impact.

A depth chart filled with question marks. And as you know, a catching situation that has become a league-wide embarrassment. The most frustrating part is that none of this should surprise anyone. People have been warning about these issues for years. Bleeding Yankee Blue has been warning about these issues for years. The lack of organizational urgency. The lack of depth. The overreliance on internal evaluations. The refusal to admit mistakes. The tendency to market every decision as genius regardless of outcome. The evidence keeps piling up. The excuses keep changing. The problems remain.

And let's talk about Aaron Boone, cause you knew I was going there. At what point does accountability finally reach the manager? Year after year, the same issues surface. Poor situational hitting. Questionable in-game decisions. A team that often appears to be going through the motions. A club that too frequently plays like it believes showing up is enough. At some point, leadership matters. At some point, culture matters. The Yankees continue to act like a franchise that deserves the benefit of the doubt simply because of what they accomplished decades ago.

Baseball doesn't work that way. History doesn't win today's games. Marketing doesn't win today's games.

Execution wins. Depth wins. Urgency wins. The Yankees have lacked all three for far too long.  Now, this isn't about hating the players. I root for the players. I want them to succeed. This is about the executives who built the roster. The executives who created the depth chart. The front office who looked at these catching options and convinced themselves everything was fine, who continue to act as though criticism comes from people who "don't understand the plan."

Here's the problem. We're seeing the plan. That's exactly why us fans are frustrated. The catching situation is awful. The depth is questionable. The roster has glaring weaknesses. And the front office that created these problems continues to operate as though it deserves praise instead of scrutiny. The Yankees may still win games. They may still make the playoffs.

But unless significant changes are made, the flaws are eventually going to surface when the games matter most. Because championship organizations prepare for problems before they happen. This Yankees front office waits until the problem is impossible to ignore. And that's exactly why so many fans have lost faith.

Not in the players. Not in the pinstripes. In the people running the Yankees operation. The front office built this problem, and until accountability finally arrives in the Bronx, don't expect the results to change.

Sorry Gang, just calling it like I see it.

THE YANKEES ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT WHO THEY REALLY ARE

The Yankees received the news every fan feared this week when Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side and placed on the injured list. The good news is that doctors ruled out thoracic outlet syndrome, a far more serious condition that could have jeopardized not only the rest of his season but potentially his career. The bad news is that the Yankees are now without the best player in baseball for at least four to six weeks, and there is no replacing what Judge brings to the lineup, the clubhouse, and the standings. That's the bottom line.

The injury itself is frustrating enough, but what has become almost comical is the way the Yankees communicated it. They are BAD at this. As is often the case with moron Aaron Boone, what started as soreness turned into a bone bruise, which turned into additional imaging, specialist visits, discussions about obtaining "clarity," and eventually the revelation that Judge had a stress fracture. Yankees fans have heard this script before. Every injury seems to begin with a relatively harmless description before evolving into something much more significant. Whether that's a communication issue, an organizational issue, or simply bad luck is open for debate, but the pattern has become impossible to ignore.

Boone, of course, did what Boone always does. He spoke. A lot of words, no clarity. Yankees managers have traditionally been measured with the media, but Boone has elevated the art and is the worst at it. Every struggling hitter is "close." Every injury requires more information. Every losing streak is a product of a process that is supposedly working despite all available evidence suggesting otherwise. Listening to Boone explain injuries has become like listening to a politician answer a direct question. You know there are words being spoken, but you're not entirely sure an answer was ever given. And as a fan, how can you not be fed up with this guy?

The larger issue, however, is not Boone's explanations. It's the fact that the Yankees have spent years constructing a roster that appears to have one overriding strategy: hope Aaron Judge remains healthy enough to cover up its weaknesses. 

For all the money spent and all the talk about organizational depth, the Yankees continue to look suspiciously dependent on one player. When Judge is in the lineup, everyone else's flaws become easier to overlook. When he's absent, those flaws suddenly become glaring.

This is where the Yankees' offensive concerns come into focus. Paul Goldschmidt has provided valuable production, but he's no longer the MVP-caliber force who terrorized National League pitching in his prime. Anthony Volpe continues to show flashes of becoming a below average player, but it's not enough. Austin Wells sucks.  Giancarlo Stanton can't stay healthy.  We can't ask Ben Rice to be on every game.

Judge's absence also changes the way opposing teams approach the Yankees. Pitchers no longer have to navigate the fear of facing one of the most dominant hitters of this generation. The lineup becomes less intimidating. Mistakes become easier to make. Opposing managers can attack situations more aggressively. The ripple effect of losing Judge extends well beyond the numbers he produces himself.

Then there is Aaron Boone, whose tenure continues to divide Yankees fans. His supporters point to the regular-season success. His critics point to the lack of postseason results and a growing sense that the Yankees routinely underachieve relative to their talent and payroll. What cannot be disputed is that Boone now faces perhaps the most important stretch of the season. Managing a healthy roster featuring Aaron Judge is one thing. Managing a flawed roster without Aaron Judge is something entirely different.

For years, Boone's approach has often seemed built around patience and protection. Slumping players are reassured. Injured players are handled carefully. Public criticism is rare. While maintaining clubhouse harmony has value, there are times when fans wonder whether the organization mistakes comfort for accountability. The Yankees frequently talk about process, preparation, and trust, but those concepts eventually need to translate into results on the field.

The next month may tell us more about the Yankees than the first two months of the season combined. If the offense continues producing, if players such as Bellineger take meaningful steps forward, and if veterans like Goldschmidt carry a greater share of the burden, then the Yankees can survive this injury and remain legitimate contenders. If the offense collapses and the team struggles to score runs without Judge in the middle of the lineup, it will confirm what many observers have suspected for years: that Aaron Judge wasn't merely the Yankees' best player. He was the foundation holding everything together, not Boone.

That's the uncomfortable reality facing the Yankees today. Aaron Judge's injury didn't create the roster's weaknesses. It exposed them. For years the organization has acted as though there would always be another trade deadline, another offseason, another opportunity to patch the holes. Now those holes are being tested in real time. Judge is on the injured list, the excuses are running thin, and the Yankees are about to discover whether they're truly a championship contender or simply a team that has been fortunate enough to employ the best player in baseball.

RAMBLINGS OF AN 82 YEAR OLD YANKEE FAN: WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Interacting with our Bleeding Yankee Blue readers is something I love, especially if everyone is respectful in the conversation.  I want to introduce you to Len Ferrara who reached out to me and had a few things to say.  So, I asked that an article be written. Here you go, folks, enjoy. And thank you Len.

-Casey

Every once in a while, on Facebook, an ad pops up for people to show that they are the oldest Yankee fan. I have put my name in, but I am obviously not the oldest because every Wednesday I have breakfast with a bunch of guys, three of whom are Yankee fans and are older than I am. Thus, age is just a number.

Since I’m rambling, I thought I would share some Yankee Stadium experiences.

My first trip to Yankee Stadium happened when I was seven or eight. I can’t really remember how old I was. You have to understand that was 75 years ago. It was a bus trip from Saint Anne’s Church in Newark, New Jersey. Basically, most of my family went.

Since I was an insignificant seven-year-old, I got to sit directly behind one of the vertical girders in the original Yankee Stadium. I can't recall how little of the game I saw, looking back and forth on either side of the girder. Since the year would have been 1950 or 1951, let me list some of the people who would’ve been playing in that game: Berra, Mize, Coleman, Rizzuto, Brown, Woodling, DiMaggio, and Bauer.

Now let me jump forward to when I was in the eighth grade. I was a school crossing guard. The reward for eighth graders who got the crossing guard assignments was a trip to Yankee Stadium. We sat in the bleachers. It was a sunny day. We roasted.

I remember telling the chaperone, my history teacher, that we had “found our place in the sun” (you have to dig back into your history book to understand that reference). The highlight of the day was my favorite player, Andy Carey, who played third base. He hit a home run right in the direction where we were sitting, but it didn’t quite reach us, proving you can’t have everything in life.

Some 25 years later, in the “new” Yankee Stadium, I was able to grab a foul ball that came into the upper deck at the weirdest angle I could ever imagine. I never thought you would get a foul ball sitting in that section, but I did.

That brings us to the latest and current iteration of Yankee Stadium. The best thing about it, I find, is the steak sandwich.

Was I there for Mariano’s last game? Yes, I was.

Am I crying now as I write about it? Yes, I am.

We, as Yankee fans, are so spoiled by players of that caliber, and I guess it’s just that we demand excellence, which is so hard to come by at this point in time.

As far as the current team is concerned, I don’t think it’s difficult to point to the holes. I don’t think you can win a championship when you have three guys batting below .200, or close to it. I also don’t think a hitting coach can take a .210 hitter and make him into a .250 hitter, but I have been known to be wrong a few times in my life.

Does the bullpen need help? Absolutely.

What I don’t understand is why we seem to have excellent prospects in the minors who stay in the minors while we get to watch relievers give up runs every time they come in.

The Yankees are worth $7 billion, or something like that, and Hal Steinbrenner thinks salaries are out of control. He's in favor of a salary cap that may cause him to cut $70 million in payroll. How is that going to happen?

Did the fans vote to give Trent Grisham $20.2 million for the year?

Will he be on the team next year?

Why do the owners vote in favor of selling teams to guys or groups that have absurd amounts of money and then complain when those same people give out absurd contracts?

Why did the league allow the bankruptcy sale of the Dodgers, and now they have a ridiculous financial advantage? Excuse me, you didn't see that coming?

When Stanton is healthy, will Boone put Rice in at catcher so the lineup would include Goldy, Rice, and Giancarlo? Or are they worried that his legs are not in shape to catch? Has Boone noticed the increase in Rice's size over the last two years?

Will Volpe playing second help with his hitting or mental gaffes? Or do we have to settle for a shortstop with less range?

You know Hal does not want to pay Jazz.

What is it about Yankees prospects that causes them to flame out in New York and then succeed elsewhere?

I still have my 1959 and 1960 Yankees yearbooks. I have a scrapbook with a newspaper clipping from April 18, 1948. That should tell you who I am.

Do you think I bleed Yankee blue?

I love the Yankees, but sometimes they just tick me off.

I am an observational scientist by occupation, although you can tell by my age that I am retired.

These are a few of my observations and concerns.

--Len Ferrara

UP SCHLITT'S CREEK?

Cam Schlittler has been one of the best stories of the Yankees' season. The stuff is electric, the poise has been impressive, and perhaps most importantly, he's shown the kind of command that usually takes young pitchers years to develop.

But there's a fine line between confidence and cockiness.

I was one of the first people to roll my eyes when Schlittler was tweeting "Keep hating on us" back in March. MARCH. The Yankees were playing well, sure, but maybe pump the brakes a little. In reality, this kid hadn't accomplished anything then. Now he's getting real good, he's going to be great, but alittle early to act like Cy Young, no? 

There's a reason veterans always say this game humbles you. Baseball has a funny way of finding anyone who starts believing their own headlines.

That's why Tuesday night's outing against the Guardians caught my attention.  For the first time this season, Schlittler looked mortal. Cleveland tagged him for five runs, four earned, on five hits in just 4.1 innings. He struck out only three batters, marking the first time since September of last year that he'd allowed more than three runs in a start.

One bad outing isn't a crisis. Every great pitcher gets knocked around eventually. The bigger concern was what happened underneath the box score. Schlittler's fastball averaged 96.8 mph, roughly one mile per hour lower than normal. His cutter, sinker, and curveball also showed velocity drops. Across the board, his stuff just wasn't quite as sharp.

According to the New York Post, the dip was largely attributed to mechanical inconsistencies affecting his four-seam fastball, which then dragged down his overall velocity. Aaron Boone noted that it was the second straight start in which Schlittler struggled to find a consistent feel for his mechanics. While some wondered about arm fatigue, Schlittler insisted there were no injury concerns and no structural soreness.

That's encouraging. But it's still something worth monitoring. Look, the league adjusts. That's what it does. Every young pitcher looks unhittable until major-league hitters start collecting data, studying tendencies, and making counter-adjustments. Then comes the real test.

Can you adjust back? I actually think Schlittler can. He seems smart enough and competitive enough to make those changes. One rough start doesn't suddenly erase months of success. Still, maybe this is a reminder that baseball isn't conquered in March.

Thankfully, Gerrit Cole has looked exceptional since returning, giving the Yankees some stability if Schlittler experiences a few bumps along the way.

And if there's a lesson here, it's a simple one: don't start taking victory laps before you've run the race. Confidence is necessary. Every successful pitcher has it. But when you're a kid with barely any major-league experience, acting like you've already arrived can come back to bite you.

As for Schlittler, maybe he's still the real deal. Maybe this is nothing more than a temporary mechanical hiccup. I believe that over time he will be a true monster and success story, but I'm a realist.

Look, for months, Yankees fans have been calling him "the Schlitt."

The next few starts will tell us whether he really is the Schlitt—or whether the honeymoon phase is officially over.

CHISHOLM GETS MOCKED FOR APPEARING ON JIMMY FALLON

Jazz Chisholm is just cocky.

Sometimes it's entertaining. Sometimes it's refreshing. And sometimes it leaves Yankees fans wondering if anyone has checked the stats before handing him a microphone.

Jazz made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and confidently predicted that New York will win the World Series.

"To win the World Series. (We're gonna do it)..." Chisholm said with a grin.

Now, confidence isn't exactly a bad thing. Nobody wants their players predicting a second-place finish. But there comes a point where the bold declarations start sounding a little different when you're hitting in the .230s and carrying a .699 OPS.

Remember when Chisholm spent spring training talking about becoming a 50-homer, 50-steal player? Yankees fans were excited. Chisholm was excited. Then reality showed up.

His season got off to a rough start, and at one point he suggested the cold weather was part of the reason for his struggles. Fair enough. Hitting a baseball in 40-degree weather isn't exactly a day at the beach.

But here's the problem.

October baseball isn't played in paradise.

If the Yankees want to win the World Series—the same World Series Chisholm just guaranteed on national television—they're going to have to play in cold weather. Maybe in New York. Maybe in Cleveland. Maybe somewhere even colder. At some point, "it's too cold" stops sounding like an explanation and starts sounding like something fans don't want to hear.

Which brings us to the funniest part of this entire story.

After Chisholm's appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Cleveland broadcaster Tom Hamilton delivered what might be the quote of the week.

Hamilton basically laughed at the idea that Chisholm was even a guest on Fallon in the first place, joking that it was surprising a guy hitting in the .230s got invited onto the show.

And honestly? It was hilarious.

Not because Hamilton was being mean. Not because Chisholm deserves to be mocked. But because it was the exact thought a lot of baseball fans probably had when they heard the interview.

You don't usually see struggling hitters making headlines for predicting championships. Usually, they're busy trying to get their batting average above the Mendoza Line.

That's what made Hamilton's jab land so perfectly. It wasn't some personal attack. It was baseball's version of a perfectly timed fastball right down the middle.

And the worst part for Chisholm?

Hamilton wasn't wrong.

If Chisholm were hitting .310 with 18 home runs, nobody would blink at a World Series prediction. Fans would probably love it. But when you're batting in the .230s, carrying a sub-.700 OPS, and still talking like you're the star of the league, you're practically inviting broadcasters to have some fun at your expense.

To be fair, Chisholm has never lacked confidence, and that's part of what makes him such a fascinating player. The swagger, the personality, the energy—it's all part of the package. Baseball could use more players willing to show some emotion.

But confidence and production work best as a pair.

Right now, Chisholm has plenty of the first one.

The Yankees are still waiting on more of the second.

THE YANKEES NEED TO FIX THE CATCHER POSITION FAST!

The Yankees have a catching problem, and it's becoming harder to ignore with each passing week.

Neither JC Escarra nor Austin Wells has managed to seize control of the position. Wells has not shown anything. Escarra's story remains one of the best feel-good tales in baseball, yet sentiment alone won't solve a lineup that desperately needs more production behind the plate. For a team with championship aspirations, the Yankees can't afford for catcher to remain an offensive black hole. This is a position we here at Bleeding Yankee Blue was concerned about in the off season. It's amazing how the Yankees front office thought this duo could actually work.  

Now there are reports that the Yankees's front office is expected to keep a close eye on the trade market for a right-handed hitting catcher who can bring legitimate thump to the lineup. The Yankees don't need another backup. They need a difference-maker.

One intriguing option is Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins. We've mentioned him before. When healthy, Jeffers has demonstrated the ability to punish opposing pitching, providing the kind of right-handed power that would fit naturally in Yankee Stadium. Minnesota's uncertain position in the standings could make veteran pieces available, and Jeffers' recent hand injury may lower his acquisition cost. If the Twins decide to listen on offers, the Yankees should be among the first teams calling.

Another name worth monitoring is Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers. The young catcher has developed into one of the more promising offensive backstops in the American League, combining power potential with solid defensive skills. Detroit may view him as a long-term building block, but every player has a price. If the Yankees are willing to part with some young pitching or prospect depth, Dingler could become an attractive target.

Then there's the dream scenario: Adley Rutschman. Let's be realistic—an Orioles-Yankees blockbuster is about as likely as seeing Red Sox fans cheer for Aaron Judge. But if Baltimore were ever willing to entertain the idea, Rutschman would instantly transform the Yankees' lineup. His switch-hitting bat would add balance, his on-base skills would create more opportunities for sluggers like Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and his reputation as one of baseball's premier game managers would elevate the entire pitching staff.

For now, the Yankees continue to juggle Wells and Escarra while searching for answers. The problem is that October contenders rarely survive with uncertainty at catcher. If the Yanks are serious about making a deep postseason run, general manager Brian Cashman may need to stop patching the position and start solving it.

DO THE YANKEES HAVE A CHANCE TO SNAG TARIK SKUBAL?

Everyone is watching, waiting and wondering what the Detroit Tigers are going to do this summer, especially me. The Tigers are at the bottom of the AL Central which means the Tigers might be ready to move Tarik Skubal soon.

This season feels like it is moving faster than normal. Summer is here which means in a couple of months the trade deadline will be here. Teams will be looking to bolster their rosters for a postseason run and the Tigers and Skubal could be parting ways soon and another team could get a VERY good, shiny new rotation piece. 

"It's trending that way. Talking with people around the game, that is their feeling," Rosenthal said when asking if a Skubal trade on Saturday’s MLB on FOX pregame show was realistic. "The outlook right now is rather bleak, and honestly, it's difficult to imagine them making up a 14-game under .500 deficit, getting back to .500, and then contending even in a weak American League. So the question becomes, 'Will Skubal be healthy enough?' It's what we don't know." Read more HERE.

That is a wild card, but if he is what an amazing instant upgrade. Before Skubal hit the Injured List he had a 2.70 ERA on a terrible Tigers team that doesn't score a lot of runs. It would be fun to watch what he could do on a team with a more potent offense. It would be even nicer to have Skubal plug into a rotation with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole. But is THAT realistic?

Probably not for more than one reason. I'm sure Brian Cashman will be listening like he always does but if Fried's elbow injury is just a contusion and he comes back healthy the Yankees have other strong pieces like Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodon and progressing Will Warren. The Yankees have some strong pieces in the rotation, there wouldn't be a great need to trade top prospects to get a short rental for Skubal. So there's reason number one.

When you look at the Yankees trade chips, they have some pieces but not ones they are willing to part with to get the Tigers to send us Skubal. If we could dangle Spencer Jones and they would bite that would be one thing but Detroit is going to want a lot more than Jones and that likely starts with George Lombard Jr. or Carlos Lagrange.

 The Yankees don't want to part with Lombard Jr at all, let alone for a short term rental. There are other teams out there with a deeper pool of top prospects that will not only have more to offer the Tigers, but will also be willing to deal them and the first team that comes to mind should be no surprise....the damn Dodgers. They have more top ranked prospects than any team and are highly motivated to do what it takes to complete a dynasty run for another championship. It could happen, but I am not sleeping on the Cubs or the Padres either.

So, there it is. I sit here and drool thinking about Skubal but realistically have to tell myself he's an unrealistic move for the Yankees. A girl can dream, I guess.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

DON'T BE FOOLED BY VOLPE'S HOT START

Jose Caballero should remain the Yankees' everyday shortstop, regardless of Anthony Volpe's latest hot start. If that sounds harsh, it's only because Yankees fans have watched the same cycle play out enough times to recognize it immediately.

Volpe starts hot. Headlines follow. Social media fills with breakout-season predictions. Analysts begin talking about the former top prospect finally putting it all together. Then somewhere along the way, the production starts to disappear, pitchers adjust, and the numbers begin trending in the wrong direction.

At some point, a trend stops being a coincidence and becomes part of the scouting report.

The best example remains 2024. Through his first 264 plate appearances, Volpe looked like a completely different hitter, batting .282 and appearing ready to establish himself as one of the league's better young shortstops. Then the league adjusted. Over the remainder of the season, he hit just .221/.256/.325. That's not a slump. That's a collapse.

To Volpe's credit, he delivered some huge postseason moments, including a memorable World Series grand slam. Nobody can take that away from him, except for the fact that the Yankees lost, and so, it really means nothing. One October highlight doesn't automatically erase years of offensive inconsistency. The Yankees cannot continue making lineup decisions based on what they hope Volpe will become rather than what he has consistently shown himself to be. But that's what Boone does.

Meanwhile, Jose Caballero keeps doing something that has become strangely undervalued in today's game: he shows up every day and performs.  Caballero doesn't arrive with the prospect hype. He doesn't have the first-round pedigree. He isn't the player featured in marketing campaigns or pushed as the face of the franchise's future. All he does is play winning baseball.

His defense is elite. His instincts are exceptional. He makes routine plays look effortless and difficult plays look routine. His baseball IQ consistently shows up in every phase of the game. Whether it's positioning, anticipation, baserunning, situational awareness, or simply understanding how to execute winning baseball, Caballero brings a level of polish and consistency that the Yankees have desperately needed.

Even Friday night against the Athletics provided another example. Back at shortstop, Caballero went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the Yankees' 8-2 win. It wasn't a headline-grabbing performance. It was something even better: reliable.

That's become his trademark. But here's another one. Saturday? Volpe? 0-4 in the Yankees loss to the A's. I can't deal.

Plus, the defensive conversation should not even be close at this point. If we're being completely honest, the Yankees' strongest infield alignment features Jazz Chisholm at second base and Jose Caballero at shortstop.

Chisholm is simply a better defensive second baseman than Volpe. His range, athleticism, reactions, and comfort level at the position are evident every night. Likewise, Caballero has shown superior consistency at shortstop. Together, they give the Yankees an athletic, dependable middle infield capable of turning difficult plays into outs on a regular basis.

Which brings us to the strange sight of Volpe taking ground balls at both shortstop and second base before games. For optics, it makes sense. For baseball reasons, it makes far less sense.

The Yankees may want fans to believe they're exploring versatility, but it's difficult to envision a realistic scenario where Volpe becomes the preferred option at second base. Why would he?

If Chisholm is the better second baseman and Caballero is the better shortstop, where exactly does Volpe fit into that equation? You don't weaken two positions just to create room for one player, unless of course you're obsessed with Volpe like Boone is.

For years, the Yankees have seemed determined to make Volpe work regardless of performance. They've remained patient through prolonged offensive struggles, extended slumps, and repeated second-half fadeouts. At some point, however, patience has to be rewarded with results.

This season should be viewed as a proving ground for Volpe. If he truly has turned the corner, fantastic. Let him prove it over six months instead of six weeks. Because history suggests caution.

Pitchers have consistently followed the same blueprint against him. Early in seasons, they challenge him with fastballs and he takes advantage. Then scouting reports circulate. Opposing staffs identify the holes in his swing and stop giving him pitches he can drive.

The diet shifts toward breaking balls and off-speed offerings. His chase rate begins to climb. His hard-hit rates begin to fall. His swing often gets longer. His strike-zone discipline deteriorates. Weak ground balls start replacing line drives. The production dries up. The pattern has become so familiar that many Yankees fans can practically predict it before it happens.

That doesn't mean Volpe lacks talent. Quite the opposite. The raw tools are obvious. The speed is real. The athleticism is real. The defensive flashes are real. The consistency is not. And consistency is what separates good players from cornerstone players. It's my opinion the minors is where he needs to be to get consistency.

Jose Caballero has earned the opportunity to keep playing every day because he has consistently impacted games. Not because of prospect rankings. Not because of draft status. Not because of organizational investment.

Because he has performed.

The Yankees' best defensive alignment right now is staring them directly in the face: Jazz Chisholm at second base, Jose Caballero at shortstop, and everyone else figuring out how to fit around that reality.

If Anthony Volpe wants that shortstop job back permanently, the path is simple. Sustain the production. Make the adjustments. Prove that this year's hot start won't become another chapter in a story Yankees fans have already read multiple times.

Until that happens, Caballero deserves the job, and frankly, he deserves far more credit than he's getting for being one of the most reliable players on the roster.