ANTHONY VOLPE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED

Fantastic article about the future of Anthony Volpe in pinstripes, or should I say the end of him in pinstripes.

If you haven't figured it out, I am over Volpe.  He's not a major leaguer and he was rushed up with the hope that the Yankee fans would welcome him with open arms in the hopes to mask the bigger problem... the Yankees need a real shortstop... someone that went through the proper ranks to eventually perform at the highest level to play in the major leagues. Not a kid from high school with no college experience all because his old man knew some people in the Yankee organization.  

This whole Volpe experiment has gone horribly wrong, and it really does go back to what Clint Frazier said yesterday on the Foul Territory podcast... "“I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup.”

That is all you need to know about how this all works in Yankeeland and why Anthony Volpe, or even worse, Austin Wells is in the lineup every day. It's not the eye test. It's analytics from college or high school with the idea that the player "can develop" or he could "become better" over time.  It's all bullshit. Many times, you need gut and feel to make a hard choice on who should be out there every day.  Volpe should not be, and now an article written predicting soon (and I hope within the next year), Anthony Volpe will be sitting every day.  Why? Because George Lombard Jr. is just better, plain and simple.

Heavy.com writes:  "Volpe, who the Yankees were hoping would be one of the better players on their roster when he debuted, just hasn’t shown enough in Major League Baseball. He won a Gold Glove award in 2023, but even his defense has taken a hit at times.

Some believe the Yankees could eventually replace him with George Lombard Jr., while others believe the Yankees will look to add another shortstop in the draft, who could eventually come up and take Volpe’s spot, or move over to second if Lombard pans out. "

Let’s be honest: the Yankees’ front office wouldn’t recognize talent if it sat next to them on the 4 train wearing pinstripes and a name tag that said, “Hi, I’m a future All-Star.” Their personnel decisions lately feel like they’ve been made by flipping a dusty binder of 2017 analytics and closing their eyes. And while they’re busy patting themselves on the back for being ahead of the curve, the rest of baseball is lapping them.

Take Gleyber Torres. Remember him? The kid was accused of not figuring it out. Well, now he’s not just surviving in Detroit—he’s thriving. He’s the Motor City Monarch. King Gleyber of Comerica. Meanwhile, Yankees fans are stuck watching a lineup that too often looks like a group project gone horribly wrong.

Anthony Volpe. Look, the kid tries hard. He’s got a baby face and the hustle of someone who’s afraid to lose his job—which, frankly, he should be. But let’s call it what it is: Volpe looks like a little leaguer who accidentally wandered into Yankee Stadium. This isn’t about “growing pains” or “high upside.” It’s about performance. And if he can’t hit, can’t field consistently, and can’t carry the weight of being a shortstop in New York, then the Yankees need to stop pretending otherwise.

They could turn to a guy like George Lombard Jr., who at least looks the part of a smoother, more complete player. Or maybe, just maybe, they could explore the radical idea of signing an actual star shortstop in free agency. But that would mean admitting their golden child isn’t gold—it’s fool’s gold.

And of course, the Yankees don’t love to admit when they’re wrong. Their egos are practically on the payroll. But unless Volpe turns it around—and fast—he’s going to have to pack his bags and find a smaller ballpark to grow up in. Maybe Pittsburgh. Maybe Colorado. Somewhere with less pressure and fewer eyes watching every booted grounder.

Bottom line: Volpe isn’t a major leaguer, like, AT ALL. And the Yankees, with their stubborn loyalty and broken compass, are once again showing they don’t know how to build a roster. 

They let Gleyber go, they cling to Volpe, and they continue to live in the past. It’s 2025. Time to act like it. I thought we were going to put the best players on the field every day, Boone? You're not!

CLINT FRAZIER JUST CALLED OUT THE YANKEES

Thank God someone said it.

If you ever doubted that Aaron Boone is basically just the Yankees’ middle manager in pinstripes—a guy who gets handed a lineup like it’s the lunch menu at summer camp—well, Clint Frazier just handed us Exhibit A.

Frazier, the once-hyped “future Yankee star” who ended up being another name on the long list of Bronx busts, is now airing it out. And bless him for it, because someone had to finally say the quiet part out loud: the Yankees are being run by a team of Ivy League spreadsheet warriors who treat baseball like it’s a chemistry lab.

“I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup,” Frazier said during a refreshingly honest appearance on Foul Territory. “Instead of just like letting a former player or a guy that has more experience write the lineup.”

Boom. That’s the mic drop.

Frazier went even further, painting the Yankees as an organization so deep in its own numbers soup that it forgot to trust what’s happening on the field. “I could go 55-for-55 and they would be like, ‘he’s not hot, he’s going to cool down.’ They believed you were what you were.”

Translation: If you weren’t one of the golden ticket holders (read: big contracts), then no amount of hustle, production, or on-field fire could crack the daily lineup. And Frazier felt that hard. “I was just highly offended, man... I felt like I was one of the guys there trying to push the envelope. That felt personal.”

And let’s be clear—this isn’t just some bitter ex-player griping for clicks. Clint Frazier is offering a first-person glimpse into how the Yankees operate, and it’s not a pretty picture. Analytics are great, but when they’re used to the point of ignoring common baseball sense, what you get is a lineup dictated by formulas, not feel.

Boone? Well, according to this account, he’s not so much managing as he is... implementing. Someone upstairs scribbles the numbers, Boone posts them on the clubhouse wall, and voilà—the day’s lineup. Rinse, repeat, and ignore the guy hitting .400 on a hot streak because a pie chart says he's “due” to fail.

Look, Frazier’s story is hardly unique in the Bronx. He’s just one of many talented guys caught in the Yankees’ black hole of “analysis paralysis.” But he is one of the first to speak this directly and this bluntly about the dysfunction, and that’s worth noting.

Whether or not you were ever in the “Free Frazier” camp, you have to respect the guy for calling it how he sees it. He didn’t burn down the house, but he definitely lit a match—and honestly, the Yankees might need to smell some smoke before they realize how much they’ve lost their way.

So, here’s to Clint: not a villain, not a bust, just another talented player swallowed by the machine. And he’s finally telling the truth about it.

PABLO REYES IS GONZO

Pablo Reyes is officially a free agent again, and the Yankees barely blinked. After getting the ol’ DFA treatment to make room for Giancarlo Stanton’s return, Reyes went unclaimed on waivers and chose to hit the open market — where he’ll now join the long line of players who’ve been chewed up and spit out by a Yankees front office that treats its “expendables” like yesterday’s batting practice balls. Yes, it’s a business. But maybe, just maybe, a little dignity wouldn’t kill anyone.

Reyes wasn’t flashy, but he was serviceable. The guy made the Opening Day roster after a solid spring and stuck around for over two months — despite getting tossed into the lineup like a leftover side dish. He logged just 34 plate appearances, mostly filling in wherever someone needed a breather: second, third, even a cameo in right field. His .194 average? Not great. But how do you expect anyone to stay sharp when they’re being used like a backup umbrella?

Meanwhile, Oswald Peraza — also out of options — was the other choice when the roster crunch came. And while he’s younger and still technically labeled a “prospect,” he’s done little with the bat to earn the benefit of the doubt. Yet, here he is, still hanging on. The Yankees killed his value by never playing him. Stay tuned on what happens to him next.

But let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Anthony Volpe. How is it that Volpe, who has looked completely overmatched at the plate more often than not, gets the full golden boy treatment? Reyes gets the boot, Peraza barely plays, and yet Volpe is untouchable. Why? Because he was hyped up as the next Derek Jeter before he ever took a big-league swing? At some point, the Yankees need to stop treating “potential” like it’s a security clearance. The numbers are the numbers, and Volpe’s bat has been… let’s be generous and call it a “work in progress.”

Reyes isn’t a star. He’s a journeyman trying to hang on. But the way these fringe players get cast aside — with no real shot and even less transparency — says a lot about how this organization operates. Loyalty is a one-way street in the Bronx. Unless your name is Anthony Volpe, apparently.

YANKEE INFIELD TRADE RUMORS JUST GOT WEIRD

It’s official—trade rumor season is upon us, and Andy Martino is tossing names around like he’s playing darts after three beers. Honestly, this guy’s hobby might be chaos. Damn you, Martino!

This time, he’s cooked up a juicy little speculation stew involving the Yankees’ infield needs—and two names have emerged: one that might make fans shrug, and another that could cause a full-on Bronx meltdown.

Let’s start with the name that probably made you spit out your coffee: Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Yes, that IKF. The utility man who once played every position not named “team therapist” in pinstripes. Martino says the Yankees “continue to look for a righty bat, likely an infielder,” and—brace yourself—“Isiah Kiner-Falefa could fit the bill.”

Now look, I had no beef with IKF. In fact, the guy was a total trooper when he was in New York. He showed up, suited up, played wherever he was told, and somehow still became the punching bag for a franchise that was gearing up for Volpe-mania. The Yankees never really gave him a fair shake—they slapped a rental sticker on him the second he walked into the clubhouse and basically fed him to the wolves. It was like, “Thanks for the versatility, now go sit in the corner while we worship Volpe’s entrance.” It was all BS and I felt terribly for IKF. It was a good dude.

And now Martino wants to throw him back into the fire? Honestly, if I’m IKF, I’d rather take up gardening.

But wait—Martino wasn’t done. He tossed in another name: Ryan McMahon. Yes, the Colorado Rockies infielder who's currently batting a brisk .225 with 11 homers and 24 RBIs. Martino’s logic? Maybe he could shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base and unlock some mythical hidden potential.

Let’s be real: we already have enough struggling hitters. Austin Wells is batting .218 and is terrible. Volpe is at .231 and every time I turn on the game, he's striking out. If we add McMahon to the mix, we’re basically collecting light-hitting players like they’re Pokémon cards. That’s not strategy—it’s sabotage.

And while it’s true we even talked about McMahon as a potential fit—back in January—that was before his bat decided to take a sabbatical. Now? Not so much.

Look, I respect Andy Martino’s hustle. He’s got a job to do, and sometimes that means tossing out wild trade scenarios like darts in the dark. But these particular ideas? They're missing the board completely. The Yankees need reinforcements that actually upgrade the roster, not take us back to the days of “he’s versatile but can’t hit.”

Deadline season is just warming up, and better ideas will come. For now, though? Martino’s wish list feels more like a prank than a plan.

WILL WEAVER RETURN TO THE CLOSER ROLE?

In Major League Baseball, the ninth inning isn’t just a frame — it’s a war zone. And if you’re not stepping on the mound with a full tank of confidence, electric energy, and surgical precision, you’re just another body waiting to blow a lead. Which is why, to anyone actually watching Yankees baseball last year, it became stunningly obvious: Luke Weaver had it.

Not kind of had it. Not flashes of it. The man was a closer. Period.

Weaver took over the job when the Clay Holmes experiment officially fizzled. Holmes had a brief run of competence, but his grip on the closer role was about as steady as a wet paper bag. Enter Weaver — cool, collected, nasty stuff, and a bulldog mentality. He didn’t inherit the role. He seized it. He wasn’t propped up by analytics or public relations puff pieces. He just flat-out earned it.

So, what did the Yankees do? Naturally, they went shopping, cause their freaking clueless.

In swoops Devin Williams, a guy with a shiny résumé and a pitching arsenal that looks great on Pitching Ninja GIFs. The Yankees, desperate to make a splash in the offseason — whether it made baseball sense or not — decided they needed another closer. 

And what did Williams do? Well, first, he told the world he “didn’t feel like himself,” and blamed part of his struggles on — get this — shaving his beard. Yes, apparently the secret to his effectiveness was not a wicked changeup or clean mechanics, but facial hair.

Meanwhile, Luke Weaver kept dominating.

Then, predictably, Aaron Boone happened. Weaver, thanks to Boone’s patented “run my best arm into the ground” strategy, strained his hamstring warming up in the Dodger Stadium bullpen. The Yankees were forced to turn back to Williams — who, credit where it’s due, has been solid lately. Four-for-four in save chances, eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings, even three Ks today. Not bad.

But here’s the thing: Weaver’s back. Or he will be tomorrow. Ahead of schedule, by the way — because that’s what dogs do. He’s already beaten the projected recovery timeline, and let’s not forget, when he went down, he was rocking a 1.05 ERA with eight saves.

So now the million-dollar question: what will the Yankees do?

If you’ve watched this team long enough, you already know. Prediction? They’re going to keep Williams in the closer role — not because he’s the better option, but because he’s the more expensive option. Weaver will get some “easing back in” label slapped on him, and be quietly shuffled into a setup role, while the team hopes fans forget he was the best closer on the roster before the hamstring tweak.

Why? Because this front office operates like a luxury brand: if they costs more, they must play. Boone won’t fight it. He’s not calling the shots. He’s just nodding along, managing by committee, afraid to make waves as long as the turnstiles keep spinning.

And guess what? As long as Yankee Stadium is full with all of you, mediocrity is profitable.

That’s why I haven’t been to the Bronx in two years. These are still my Yankees — but not this version, not this front office, and definitely not this manager. I’m not paying premium prices to watch a team that insists on rewarding contracts over performance.

Luke Weaver should close. But with this regime? Don’t hold your breath.

Welcome to the Bronx — where the bullpen decisions are corporate, the excuses are bearded, and the fans? 

We’re getting tired of being the only ones who remember what winning championships used to look like.

LET'S STOP PRETENDING ANTHONY VOLPE IS GOOD

I am tired of this Anthony Volpe experiment.  The dude can't play at the major league level.  So painful.  Last night with yet another opportunity to tie it up for the Yankees or even extend the inning, Anthony Volpe strikes out.  It's a pathetic showing for a player that was brought up too fast and is on his way to being a lifetime .230 hitter in the major leagues.  Anthony Volpe is a bust.  Plain and simple.  This guy has to go.

Let’s stop pretending. Let’s stop babying. Let’s stop handing out participation trophies and telling ourselves Anthony Volpe is "just figuring it out." He’s not. What he is, is a confused, overwhelmed, underperforming shortstop who is absolutely drowning under the weight of Yankee pinstripes. And Aaron Boone—baseball’s most enthusiastic enabler—is sitting there like a proud Little League dad, clapping from the dugout while the rest of us watch this disaster unfold.

Let’s call it like it is: Anthony Volpe is hot garbage. Not a little off. Not “in a slump.” Garbage. His at-bats are cringe, his glove has turned into a liability, and when the Yankees need someone to step up in big moments, Volpe is stepping out of the batter's box—usually after strike three.

Take that disaster against the Angels. Bases loaded, eighth inning, one out. Routine ground ball to short. Volpe boots it like he’s trying to send it back to Somerset. Then, for good measure, he misfires the throw to second. Two-run swing. Ballgame. You know what Boone had to say afterward?

“Just didn’t handle the ball.”

No kidding, Skip. What an insight. You’ve got the fanbase screaming at their TVs, and this guy’s giving us fortune cookie quotes.

Volpe is now 0-for-15 over the last four games. His season line is a sad .235/.307/.419. And he’s struck out a lot. Like, career-worst levels of strikeouts. And when are those K’s happening? Not in meaningless blowouts, but with runners on, in big moments. The kind of moments real Yankees deliver in. But Volpe? He folds like a paper straw in a milkshake.

And let’s talk about Boone again, because he deserves a whole chapter in this horror novel. This guy talks about Volpe like he's Derek Jeter mixed with his childhood teddy bear. Volpe makes an error? Boone blames the baseball. Volpe goes down swinging on three pitches? Boone tells the media how “he just missed one.” Bro, he missed three. Sit down.

And for all the people saying “But Volpe has 20 doubles!”—great. Print that stat on a T-shirt and sell it in the Bronx Zoo gift shop, because it sure as hell isn’t helping the Yankees win games. You know what would help? A shortstop who can make a routine play and drive in a run when it counts. The Yankees have now lost six straight, and Volpe hasn’t even accidentally contributed to a win.

Enough with the coddling. Enough with the nonsense about "development." This is the New York Yankees. We don't rebuild. We don’t do tryouts in June. And we definitely don’t give starting jobs to guys who look like they belong in a Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp uniform.

Bench him. Or trade him. Send him to Miami, where the pressure is lighter and the stadium’s half empty by the third inning. Volpe’s not a Yankee. He’s not even a clutch ballplayer. He’s a project. A failed one. And every game Boone keeps trotting him out there is another nail in the coffin of this season.

Let me be perfectly clear: Anthony Volpe might become a good ballplayer one day. But he isn’t one now. And Aaron Boone is too incompetent to admit that. The Yankees are sinking, and Boone’s too busy handing out hugs in the clubhouse. Grow a spine, Boone. This isn’t daycare. It’s the damn Bronx.

Do your job. Bench Volpe. Or better yet? Ship him out.

THE BEST YANKEE NEWS YOU'LL READ THE REST OF THE WEEK IS RIGHT HERE!

I guess the dog days of summer have come early for this team. It hurts to watch this team "play" and freefall against lowly teams like the Red Sux and Angels. There's nothing "good" to report on the field right now, but it is coming soon....

The only bit of good news I am really holding onto right now is that Luis Gil is making one more step toward returning. On Saturday, Gil will face hitters on Saturday, it will be the first time he has done this since Spring Training, read more HERE.

It's an important first step, but Aaron Boone is optimistic about it. "It's still going to be a while," Boone said. "The good news is he seems to be in a really good spot. He's responded from this whole rehab process really well. Every step, whether it's once he started throwing and once he started long tossing, now getting on the mound, it's gone really well. I know he's felt really good throughout it, so hopefully that's a good sign."

So now we hope Gil continues to progress and there are no setbacks. We need another impactful arm to get us through the tough stretch and as much as I like Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren they are inconsistent, and there are too many unknowns surrounding Ryan Yarbrough's ability to remain a starter. Although I must say, I'd rather take a chance on those guys than Marcus Stroman if I HAD to.

There's no timeframe established for Gil's return but if he continues to progress a return mid-July after the All-Star break is possible. It's a piece of good news we need right now. Not much is going right in Yankeeland right now, so I will take what small nugget of good news I can get.

Getting Gil back would be a nice boost to the pitching staff and add some versatility....and we definitely need that as we get closer to the dog days of summer (and lots of wins, especially series wins). 

Fingers crossed.....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

BOONE'S OBSESSION IS HURTING THE YANKEES

I’ve been screaming this for two damn years, and now the rest of you are finally catching on: Anthony Volpe is not that guy. And the longer the Yankees pretend he is, the worse this mess gets.

But let’s be real—this isn’t just a Volpe problem. This is a Yankees problem. This is an Aaron Boone problem. Because once again, the people in charge of this franchise took a young, unproven kid and shoved him into the furnace, crowned him “the next Jeter,” and watched in confusion when he turned into ash.

Volpe never had a chance.

The kid didn’t really play college ball. He barely sniffed Triple-A. But that didn’t stop the Yankees from slapping a “savior” label on his chest like he was gonna fix everything. And Boone? Oh, Boone couldn’t have been more in love. You’d think Volpe was his biological son the way he refuses to take him out of the lineup. Everyone else gets benched. Everyone else gets held accountable. But not Volpe.

Nope. Volpe is Boone’s golden boy. His golden boy who’s hitting .241 with a swing-and-miss rate that would make Rob Deer cringe.

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This isn’t development. This is delusion. This is a full-blown fantasy that Boone and the Yankees front office are too stubborn—or too stupid—to wake up from. They told us this kid was Derek Jeter. Jeter?! He’s not even Tony Womack in a good year. Womack's like "Why y'all picking on me?" At this point, I’d take a 1995 Pat Kelly over whatever the hell Volpe has become.

But here’s the kicker: I actually feel for Volpe. Just a little. Because this failure isn’t entirely on him. The kid didn’t ask to be the face of the franchise. He didn’t run his own hype train. The Yankees did that. Boone did that. They tossed him to the wolves in the Bronx spotlight and said, “Good luck, kid!” with no cushion, no development plan, and no Plan B if he fell flat.

Guess what? He fell flat.

And now WFAN’s Sal Licata—finally—is saying what I’ve been yelling from the rooftops:

“Volpe has been a bust… I don’t know why everyone is afraid to say it.”

He’s damn right and I'm not afraid. Why has everyone been so afraid to say it? Why has it taken this long for the media to hold the Yankees accountable for ruining this kid’s trajectory before it even had a chance to stabilize?

This is the Yankees' way lately. Overpromise. Undeliver. Stick with their guy until the house burns down. Boone’s sitting Cody Bellinger and other proven veterans, but Anthony Volpe? Front of the line. Every single day. And we’re supposed to be okay with that?

That’s why I call Volpe Boone’s Boy Toy. He’s obsessed. This is him 10 months ago.  Is he watching the same player we're seeing or is he watching with the idea that he hopes it will finally click... cause it's  not.

 

He needs Volpe to be good, he WANTS Volpe to be good, because otherwise the Yankees front office has to admit they blew it. And let’s be honest—Boone doesn’t have the spine to call out a bad decision. He’s a mouthpiece. A walking PR statement. He manages with vibes and hopes, not facts and results.

You want facts?
Volpe has been below average at the plate for most of his major league career.
His OPS is a joke.
His strikeouts are through the roof.
And when the pressure's on, he folds like a beach chair.

He stands in the box with this “let’s go!” energy like he’s about to do damage, but the expression on his face is pure confusion. He looks like someone who wandered onto the field by accident. There’s no edge. No fire. Just wide-eyed panic.

And this idea that he’s “trying hard”? Cool. Try hard in Scranton. Try hard in Miami. This is the Yankees. This is the Bronx. "Trying" is the bare minimum. Succeed or get out of the way.

If the Yankees had any sense of urgency—or dignity—they’d be shopping Volpe for pitching at the deadline. Send him to the Marlins or the Rockies or somewhere else that doesn’t eat you alive for batting .241. Because let’s be honest: the only thing he’s leading the league in is excuses.

 
The bottom line is this: Volpe was set up to fail, and he’s doing exactly that. And instead of adjusting, Boone and the Yankees keep running the same broken play over and over again, praying it turns into magic. But this isn’t a fairytale. This is a team trying to win a World Series. Or at least, pretending to.

So, here’s what I’m saying: Stop the madness. Stop the charade. Admit Volpe’s not the guy. Admit Boone is in way over his head. And for once, just once, make a decision based on results instead of loyalty and bullshit optimism.

Enough already.

JUST REAL BAD NEWS ABOUT JAKE COUSINS

Look, let’s just cut the nonsense: Yankees fans have been dragged through the mud all season when it comes to Jake Cousins. One minute he's shut down. The next, he’s throwing again. Then boom—he vanishes like your hopes during a late-inning bullpen collapse, almost like Aaron Boone has no idea what's going on. Now, after months of vague updates and hopeful whispers, the bomb drops: Cousins is getting Tommy John surgery. Season over. Thanks for playing.

This isn't just bad luck—this feels like malpractice, or at least major miscommunication. Either the medical staff botched the diagnosis early, or the Yankees front office just doesn't know how to handle a pitching injury without spinning it into a PR puzzle.

Cousins was one of the few bullpen arms who actually gave fans a reason to exhale in 2024. The dude had a 2.37 ERA over 38 innings in the regular season and was a steady presence in a pen that has been anything but. Sure, he got knocked around a bit in the playoffs (that 9.00 ERA still stings), but let’s not act like everyone else was shutting doors and blowing kisses.

Across four big-league seasons, he’s posted a 2.78 ERA in 88 appearances. That’s not just serviceable—that’s solid. And now? He's sidelined until 2026, and we’re once again left wondering if this organization actually knows what it’s doing when it comes to keeping pitchers healthy.

They stashed him on the 60-day IL back in March with a "right elbow flexor strain," which now feels like a fancy way of saying, “We’re not sure, but we’ll wing it.” That's how it feels at least. He tried a brief rehab stint in High-A, which lasted about as long as a TikTok trend, and then we hear it’s a UCL issue. Days later, Tommy John.

With the Yankees currently spiraling and their bullpen unraveling faster than Boone’s postgame logic, losing Cousins just adds more gasoline to a fire no one seems interested in putting out.

At this point, all fans want is clarity. Maybe even a little honesty. But the Yankees operate in a fog of vague updates, sunny projections, and straight-up gaslighting. We don’t need optimism. We need facts. We need guys like Cousins healthy. And if that’s not possible, at least stop pretending like everything's fine until the elbow ligament snaps.

This isn’t just a blow to the pen. It’s another gut punch in a season full of them.

STROMAN'S RETURN MAY JUST BE A WAY TO SHOWCASE HIM BEFORE THE DEADLINE

Marcus Stroman is dusting off his cleats and getting ready to throw some baseballs again — hooray, confetti, pop the champagne. Or don’t. Because let’s be real: this team doesn’t need sentimental comebacks right now. It needs reinforcements. It needs adrenaline. It needs someone to walk into that clubhouse and scream, “WAKE UP!” And as much as I appreciate Stroman’s flair and social media savvy, I don’t think he’s that guy. But maybe, just maybe, he can help us find that guy.

Stroman is scheduled to start a rehab game on Wednesday for the Double-A Somerset Patriots. It’ll be his first time facing live hitters since mid-April, when his left knee decided it had other plans and tapped out. His last appearance? April 11 against the Giants, where he got lit up and then promptly landed on the injured list the very next day. Since then, it’s been setbacks and soreness — two of the most exhausting words in Yankees land right now.

Let’s recap the numbers. Three starts. 9.1 innings pitched.12 earned runs. ERA somewhere between “yikes” and “are you serious?”

Now, as the Yankees stumble through a freefall like a guy who just slipped on a banana peel while carrying groceries, Stroman’s return is… well, interesting. Will he be a bullpen guy? A starter? An opener? A mascot? I genuinely don’t care. The Yankees need warm bodies with functioning knees and a pulse. Inject something into this lifeless dugout, even if it’s Stroman in a neck pillow trying to throw three innings.

But let me be brutally honest here — Stroman isn’t the golden ticket to a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. He’s a piece. A chess pawn. And you know what you do with pawns when you're not going to win with them? You trade them to get a queen. Or at least a third baseman who can field and hit above .200.

If Stroman comes back and looks halfway decent — I mean, not throwing batting practice out there — it's my opinion that the Yankees will dangle him at the deadline like a juicy steak in front of a desperate contender. Somebody will bite. Someone always bites. Pitching is a hot commodity in July, especially when elbows and hamstrings across the league are snapping like dry twigs.

Look, I don’t root against Stroman. He’s been a good soldier (minus the occasional social media swirl), but this is about one thing and one thing only: winning a World Series. And if he’s not helping you do that — and let’s be honest, he’s probably not — then he needs to become someone who helps you get someone who can.

So go ahead, Marcus. Rehab strong. Look sharp. Smile for the radar guns. Just know that every pitch you throw is an audition — not for October in the Bronx, but for July 30 in someone else’s uniform.

We’re in survival mode now, folks. Let’s act like it.

AARON BOONE'S 'BOY TOY' CAN'T GET IT DONE... AGAIN!

Another late-inning letdown. Another game lost. Another opportunity blown by the Yankees’ ever-coddled poster boy, Anthony Volpe. And, like clockwork, here comes Aaron Boone with his arms wide open, ready to shower Volpe (and hitless tag-along Austin Wells) with more undeserved praise.

Let’s just say it: These guys are not good major league players. They’re not. They’re young, yes. They have “potential,” sure. But we’re not running a prospect showcase—we’re trying to win a World Series. At some point, potential needs to translate into performance, and Volpe and Wells simply aren’t delivering. Yet Boone keeps parading them out there like they’re future Hall of Famers. It’s not just misguided—it’s delusional.

You’d think Volpe was the next Jeter based on how the Yankees talk about him. But he's not even the next Didi Gregorius. On Monday night, with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th, Volpe had a chance to be the hero. The Yankees were down 1-0. The stage was set. And what did he do? Grounded out on the very first pitch. Game over. Yankees lose again.

After the game, a reporter dared to ask the obvious—should Volpe have taken a pitch, especially with a fresh reliever on the mound? Boone’s response?

“The first pitch is the best one to hit sometimes. I didn't see if it was off the plate or a good pitch to go after; that might be the case. But we gotta be ready to go there.”

Translation: Nothing to see here, folks. Boone shields this kid.

It’s the same tired excuse every time. Boone sticks to these guys like glue, even when the results scream for change. Volpe went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and is now batting .241 with 8 home runs and 39 RBIs. If that’s the bar we’re setting for everyday starters in the Bronx, we’re in serious trouble.

And don’t even get started on Austin Wells—Volpe’s offensive doppelgänger. Hitless. Again. Yet there they are, penciled into the lineup daily like this is a Little League team and Boone’s just trying to keep his parent friends happy.

You want a bold take? Here it is: Boone sees himself in these guys. Scrappy, overhyped, underperforming. And if that’s true, then we’re stuck in a loop of mediocrity. Boone wasn’t exactly lighting up the league in his playing days, and if this is his blueprint for talent evaluation, it explains a lot.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have lost four straight, and the Angels—who can’t get out of their own way most nights—snapped a losing streak against us. The season is slipping, and we’re trotting out underachievers like it’s a player development camp.

At what point do the Yankees stop pretending Volpe is untouchable? 

When does Boone start holding anyone accountable besides the media for daring to ask real questions? And when, seriously when, do fans start holding Boone accountable for continuing to push a failed narrative?

Enough is enough. This isn’t working. The Yankees don’t need more praise for potential. They need production. And right now, they’re getting neither from Volpe, Wells, or the man filling out the lineup card.

YANKEES MAY HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH JASSON DOMINGUEZ

Not gonna lie, the Martian has me worried a little bit lately. He doesn't look like he knows where he is. He looks empty out there. Does he realize he is playing in Major League games? The Yankees need to get him back on track fast or we've got a big fundamental problem. 

I get it, Jasson Dominguez is young and he is only going to get better. I'm not denying that but, he's making some rookie mistakes that just can't happen. The Red Sox series was a disaster for him. I can't get past his overthrow to second base when that could've been an out. Then he doesn't realize what the count is and decides to travel 10 feet off of second base and gets caught in la la land and gunned down by catcher Carlos Narvaez threw the ball behind him to Trevor Story who easily tossed the ball to third and tagged him out. That just CANNOT happen.

Gotta stay tuned into the game, know what is happening and what the counts are. This is a basic, something he also had to do in the minors and when he was first learning how to play the game. I just don't get it. This was a huge blunder to a very messy series that just made the sweep even worse for me. Now I just can't stop thinking about it.

Aaron Boone says he spoke with Dominguez after the game and reinforced how important it is to stay engaged in the game and know what is happening and when but, it doesn't make me feel better. He killed the rally and at the end of the clip Boone looks pissed. If he would jump on his players like he does umpires instead of coddling his players we'd see less stupidity like this. Boone is a coddler, he didn't give Dominguez the tough feedback he needed to hear. He's soft, which makes the entire team soft.

Maybe Giancarlo Stanton coming back is exactly what this Yankees team needs. It could give Trent Grisham some more playing time and take some pressure off of Dominguez because he's cracking under pressure. Boone could platoon them more, but just because Boone CAN doesn't mean he will of course. Dominguez can hit but he struggles with fielding and defense....and apparently cant run bases or count to three.

This is a problem, and the Yankees have to get Dominguez up to a consistent and contributing major league player. The lack of fundamentals is what will kill this team. The AL East may be very average this year....but the Yankees are struggling against an average division and now have a 3.5 game lead. This is what happens when things break down.

I'm at my wits end with this one....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj