The Yankees started the season on fire, dominating April and May like a team built for October. But as summer set in, so did the slump. June and July (so far) have exposed cracks that a single win can’t patch. They snapped out of their second six-game losing streak with a victory in the Subway Series finale, but that did little to ease the frustration. Now, it’s starting to feel like the issues run far deeper than just a midseason cold streak.
From sitting comfortably at the top of the AL East, no one would have imagined the Yankees would surrender their lead to the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, they’re 49–41 and four games behind the Blue Jays. While frustration is boiling over among fans, the clubhouse itself seems oddly unaffected. When asked whether the skid is affecting the locker room, Aaron Judge bluntly responded, “No.” That seems to reflect the overall attitude in the clubhouse, and it’s not going unnoticed.
While speaking on the Pinstripe Post, Joel Sherman couldn’t hide his frustration. He knows the players might be finding excuses, saying every major team goes through something like this at some point. But guess what? For the Yankees, this isn’t just once a year — they hit a similar low last June, and the year before that too. “I do wonder if they have the ability to self-examine and say, is there something about an Aaron Boone team that, you know, happens at about this time?” Sherman asked.
According to him, they should be banging their heads to find the root cause. “Do we need to do something different in spring training? Do we need a different manager? Different coaches? A different philosophy?” These are all the questions Sherman says the Yankees should be asking themselves.
Image Credits: Imago
It almost feels eerie that the team seems to spiral just three months into the season, for the past three seasons. “Because, you know, once is once. Twice, you want to say is coincidence. But this is the third year in a row we’ve seen this kind of death swirl from the team,” Sherman added.
Well, he’s not off with that striking observation. In 2023, their struggles could be blamed on Judge’s injury. But the year after that? Just like this season, they fell out of first place during a terrible stretch mid season. Sure, they pulled it back together both times, and maybe they will again, but it doesn’t change the fact that this June–July slump is strange for a team this good. Over the past 50 years, the Yankees haven’t been the kind of team to go through this. So, is Boone’s management the problem, as many fans believe?
But wait, wasn’t it the same Boone’s leadership that helped them turn things around last year? They ended up making a legitimate run at the championship ring. So maybe Boone isn’t entirely to blame. And just as fans are turning on him, one MLB insider has stepped up in his defense.
MLB Insider backs Aaron Boone
When a team struggles to turn effort into results, players naturally look to the manager for direction, and the outside world expects accountability. In Boone’s case, many believe that if he were tougher, this disastrous slide in the standings could’ve been avoided. But is their managers the only issue? According to Ken Rosenthal, that argument doesn’t hold up.
“The perception of many Yankee fans is that Boone isn’t tough enough. He isn’t a guy who holds players accountable enough,” Rosenthal wrote for USA Today. “When fans talk about getting a new manager, a more fiery one — well, okay, but guess what? Those managers don’t really exist anymore. Name a manager right now who holds players publicly accountable. I can’t think of any who do,” he added
Rosenthal makes a strong point. There aren’t any managers in today’s MLB who publicly lash out at players. If they did, they’d likely be shown the door. And for Boone, this isn’t new territory. He’s in his seventh season as the Yankees’ skipper and just received a contract extension through 2027. There’s no reason to believe he’s worried about losing his job anytime soon.
But none of that matters right now. What does matter is what Boone is doing to stop the bleeding and get this team back on track. The Yankees desperately need a solid comeback. The question is, can their manager lead them there?
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