Cody Bellinger’s trip to the injured list has only sharpened the Yankees’ urgency.
New York put Bellinger on the 10-day injured list before Sunday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies with a left hamstring strain, leaving the club without one of the three former MVPs it opened the 2026 season with. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are also on the injured list, which leaves the Yankees leaning on Ben Rice and trying to stay afloat while they chase the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
The outfield has been patched together with former top prospects Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez, but that only goes so far. If the Yankees want a real answer before the Aug. 3 deadline, the move points toward Minnesota.
Brian Cashman should be on the phone with the Twins about Byron Buxton.
The price won’t be light. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported Saturday that Buxton would “command a haul.” Sherman also noted the hurdle attached to the center fielder’s no-trade clause: “Buxton has insisted he will not forgo his no-trade clause - though you could imagine the Braves, Rays and Rangers coming hard if he did,” Sherman added.
Still, it’s easy to see why the Yankees would push hard. Buxton is under contract for two more years at $15.1 million per season, and Trent Grisham is set to hit free agency after this year. For a team staring at a thin margin in the outfield, that kind of control matters.
The production does too. Buxton brings a full package: three All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove Award and a Platinum Glove Award.
He’s also been remarkably steady at the plate, with at least 17 homers in each of the last six seasons. This year, his 25 home runs rank fourth in the American League, and he posted career highs last season with 35 homers and 83 RBIs.
At 32, he’s not fading. Buxton has produced an OPS of at least .859 and 3.0 WAR in each of the last three seasons.
The Yankees still have a 98.4% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, and they expect Judge, Bellinger and Stanton back for October. But if they want the best shot at catching Tampa Bay in the AL East and boosting their World Series odds, which sit at 12.0%, Buxton is the kind of swing that makes sense.
In Other News...
Aaron Judge Sent Yankees A Sharp Trade Deadline Message
With Aaron Judge sidelined by a fractured rib, his voice still carried extra weight when he addressed the Yankees roster situation ahead of the trade deadline. The captain did not frame the moment as a plea for outside help so much as a reminder that the club has to keep doing its part, staying in position and giving the front office room to add the final pieces if the right deal comes along.
The Yankees are already juggling injuries to key players, and the need is obvious enough that the list of possible fixes has been easy to identify: a right-handed-hitting outfielder, a catcher and bullpen help. Aaron Boone has acknowledged the front office is working to improve the team, but he stopped short of promising anything, which leaves the next few days feeling like a test of both patience and urgency in the Bronx. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Blow Sweep Chance As Another Lineup Concern Emerges
The Yankees had a chance to finish off a sweep of the Phillies, but instead watched the game slip away in an 11-4 loss that served as a reminder that the lineup is still carrying some uneven edges. Ben Rice provided one of the brighter spots, homering and driving in runs again, but New York could not keep pace once Philadelphia started breaking through against the pitching staff.
Will Warren was knocked around in his start, and the game unraveled further when Ryan Yarbrough was tagged for five runs in the sixth inning. The bigger-picture concern, though, came before the first pitch, when Spencer Jones was brought up from Triple-A to fill a roster opening and give the Yankees another look as they try to navigate a lineup that suddenly needs answers. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Trade Idea Solves A Bullpen Need Without The Usual Price
A bullpen upgrade always gets the Yankees thinking, and this latest trade idea offers a cleaner fit than the usual deadline fantasy. The framework from The Athletics Chris Kirschner and former MLB general manager Jim Bowden has New York adding a left-handed reliever from San Diego while sending a pair of pitching prospects back the other way, a move built around immediate relief help without forcing the Yankees to empty the top of the farm system.
The appeal is obvious from the Yankees side because the target would slide into a high-leverage role and deepen a relief mix that already leans on David Bednar, Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz in different late-inning spots. Bowdens case for the Padres is just as practical, since they are staring at a rotation reset and could use the incoming arms as controllable starting depth, which is the kind of return that can make a speculative deal feel a little more real than most July chatter. [Read more 🡒]