New York Yankees Joel Sherman Yankees’ once-full baseball buffet has become empty as struggles hit every phase By Joel Sherman Published June 30, 2026, 12:12 a.m. ET Ben Rice reacts after striking out during the Yankees' June 29 loss to the Tigers. Charles Wenzelberg The Yankees have forgotten how to hit, pitch and field.
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Since those are the appetizer, main course and dessert of baseball, the Yankees these days are starving their fans of joy. The most positive element is that they play in the AL, where I believe the “A” stands for Atrocious.
A league in which no more than four or five teams can regularly find their way above .500 covers a lot of blemishes. The Yankee troubles have dropped them from first in the AL East, but not in any big-picture danger — at least not yet. Still, the foibles of others can only camouflage so much. It is not just that the Yankees are losing — five in a row and nine of 12 — but doing so incompetently in every phase.
Their 7-3 loss Monday to the Tigers was worse than the final score and had injury upon insult. Jasson Domínguez, who has many defensive shortcomings, including a pittance of field awareness, slammed an elbow into Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s jaw while racing in to catch a fourth-inning pop-up. He said he called the ball, and Chisholm, retreating from an infield-in deployment, did not hear him. Chisholm was removed from the game and was going through concussion protocol.
