From Aaron Judge's pursuit of another MVP to trade deadline strategy to Anthony Volpe's play, there's no shortage of Yankees' post-All-Star break storylines.
NEW YORK – At the All-Star break, Yankees manager Aaron Boone surveyed the road toward October.
“It’s a long way to go still, we’ve got to keep getting better,’’ said Boone. “But we’re in position to do what we need to do.
“Hopefully after (the break)…there’s that positive reset for some guys to get a breather and come out with that hyper focus of understanding what that mission is.’’
That said, here are five Yankees' storylines for the post-All-Star break run toward postseason:
Yankees' pitching decisions, IL returns
Maybe Cam Schlittler becomes the first-half 2024 version of Luis Gil, suddenly excelling in the rotation, while Will Warren becomes even more valuable as a starter.
Or maybe one or both are involved in trade deadline deals.
Since Gerrit Cole's elbow surgery and Gil's spring training lat strain, the Yanks' pitching has become more turbulent, with starter Clarke Schmidt requiring Tommy John surgery and a host of key relievers on the injured list.
Gil could return to the rotation by the first week of August, but lefty Ryan Yarbrough (oblique) seems further away, and important setup relievers Fernando Cruz (oblique) and Mark Leiter Jr. (leg stress fracture) might not be factors until September.
On the menu: Boosting a Max Fried/Carlos Rodon-led rotation and supplementing the bullpen.
Yankees actions at the trade deadline
Out of the break, it’s a two-week sprint until the July 31 MLB trade deadline, and the Yanks’ wish list includes starters, relievers, a third baseman and possibly a right-handed hitting outfielder.
Pitching is always first, and it’s what almost every contender needs, but GM Brian Cashman has vowed “to do everything we possibly can to improve ourselves and try to match up’’ with trade partners.
Other than top infield prospect George Lombard Jr., the Yankees sound willing to discuss any of their frontline minor league inventory – though at what price for an impending free agent?
By now, you know Cashman is open to any trade pitch and won’t shy from making a bold request; last year he landed controllable players in Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. before the deadline.
Aaron Judge’s chase for a third MVP
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is in the MVP conversation, with unique switch-hitting power at his position.
Over the season’s final two-and-a-half months, Judge might keep chasing Raleigh for the AL home run crown, but the Yankees’ captain is the frontrunner to repeat as league MVP.
Judge leads the league in OPS (1.194), batting average (.355), hits (125), walks (69) and runs (85), and his 35 home runs trails only Raleigh, at 38.
The last Yankee to win back-to-back MVP awards was Roger Maris, in 1960 and 1961.
Yankees' urgency vs. the AL East
Simply put, the second place Yankees must play a lot better within their division if they’re going to repeat as AL champs.
It’s a division the Yanks led by seven games on May 29, but things have changed.
At the break, the Yanks are 10-16 vs. divisional foes, and they’ve lost 10 of 13 games against the Red Sox and Blue Jays (they are 4-3 vs. the Rays, 3-3 vs. the Orioles).
Boone’s club has 26 remaining games vs. AL East teams, two home-and-away series apiece.
Creating a tougher road to a division title, the Yankees didn’t take advantage of a soft part of their schedule in June, while the Jays and Sox have surged.
Given Boston’s blistering 10-game winning streak, the Yanks (53-43) are closer to the third-place Sox (53-45) than the first place Blue Jays (55-41), with a two-game AL East lead.
Anthony Volpe's need for a second half surge
In his MLB third season, the Yankees’ shortstop is in his toughest extended stretch.
We’ve seen Volpe in offensive deserts before, but he’s also experiencing a genuine defensive slump – with some passive play, and he doesn’t have a cannon arm to compensate.
Volpe’s 11 errors lead the AL, and he ranks 19th among all shortstops in Fielding Run Value per MLB Statcast, getting low marks for range (after receiving superb marks in 2024, the year after winning the AL Gold Glove at shortstop).
Since May 29, Volpe is batting .169 (24-for-142) in 41 games with a .535 OPS and just three stolen bases in six attempts.
Boone might find more opportunities to pinch-hit for Volpe late in games, but it’s not as if .149-hitting Oswald Peraza is going to take starts away from Volpe.
“I know it’s been streaky,’’ Cashman said recently of Volpe, but “I know he’s going to be part of the solution and not the problem. I just have a high belief in him.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Yankees' five second half storylines
Category: Baseball
