The Yankees are back from the All-Star break with the same goal they had when spring training opened: win the AL East. And as Cam Schlittler pointed out this week, they already know how costly a tie can be.
“We tied last year for first (place) and it came back to bite us,’’ Schlittler said, a nod to the divisional tiebreaker they lost to the Blue Jays, who then went on to win the AL pennant.
That urgency returns right away in the Bronx, where the Yankees open the second half this weekend against the two-time defending world champion Dodgers. Gerrit Cole is lined up to start Friday night’s opener, his first appearance against Los Angeles since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Ryan Weathers is scheduled for Saturday, and Schlittler gets the ball Sunday.
“It’s going to be a good test for us,’’ Schlittler said of the NL West leaders, with the Yankees sitting three games behind the AL East-leading Rays. “It should be a lot of fun.’’
There’s plenty on the Yankees’ radar beyond this series, starting with Aaron Judge. This week, Judge was scheduled to be re-imaged to check how his fractured first right rib is healing, six weeks after he went on the injured list. Judge’s longer IL stints tend to come with uncertainty about where he stands, so the next update could at least show whether he’s ready to start moving toward baseball activity.
The rotation is also getting closer to help. Max Fried, sidelined by a bone bruise in his elbow, could begin a rehab assignment this weekend, which could put him back in the Yankees’ rotation around Aug.
- Carlos Rodon, dealing with elbow inflammation, is still building back up and remains behind Fried, though once he’s cleared to face live hitters, he may not need much time to get ready.
Rodon last started on June 28.
Then there’s the trade deadline, and Brian Cashman isn’t treating Judge’s status as a reason to change course. The Yankees’ general manager said recently that the club will stay open to upgrades ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
“We’re open…to try to improve ourselves, period,’’ Cashman said last week, adding that he’d try to push in on anything that makes sense’’ to improve the 2026 club, “whether it’s pitching or offense.’’
Bullpen help and catching are viewed as likely areas to address, but the size of those moves remains the real question. The answer may come down to how willing the Yankees are to part with pieces such as Spencer Jones, Jasson Dominguez, Carlos Lagrange and George Lombard Jr.
Lagrange had been moving toward a late-inning relief role in the minors before a shoulder strain may have ended his season. Lombard Jr., meanwhile, could be the internal name to watch as September approaches. He’s already viewed as big-league ready defensively, and Cashman said the shortstop-by-trade has been pressing forward even while dealing with recent finger strains to his glove hand.
“He’d been pushing himself before the injury,’’ Cashman said, adding that the right-handed hitter and current top organizational prospect “might be a choice at some point’’ for the 2026 Yankees.
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Yankees May Have Found A Real Catcher Answer Before Deadline Panic
The Yankees catching situation has become one of the more obvious pressure points on the roster, and Brian Cashman has not tried to pretend otherwise. Austin Wells has not given the club the kind of steady production it expected, and with the Aug. 3 deadline approaching, the front office is at least looking around for help behind the plate rather than waiting for the problem to sort itself out.
Arizonas Gabriel Moreno has surfaced as one of the more intriguing names in the mix, a reminder that the market may offer more than just stopgap options if the Yankees decide to act. Moreno has been productive for the Diamondbacks and comes with additional club control, which only adds to the appeal for a team that wants more certainty at catcher, even if no deal has come together yet. [Read more 🡒]
This Under The Radar Bat Could Fix More Than One Yankees Problem
The Yankees still have the kind of deadline shopping list that can send a front office in a dozen directions at once. Catcher, bullpen and rotation upgrades sit near the top, but there are also secondary needs to cover, including a right-handed bat and some help around Ryan McMahon. In that kind of market, versatility matters almost as much as pure production, and few available names fit that mold better than a player who can move around the diamond and still give a lineup a useful split against left-handed pitching.
Spencer Steer has started to surface as one of those under-the-radar possibilities, especially with the Reds' playoff hopes fading and the possibility that they listen more seriously as the deadline gets closer. For the Yankees, the appeal is obvious: a bat that can help in more than one spot, some defensive flexibility, and contractual control that would make the move more than a rental gamble. The question now is whether the Reds are truly ready to move him, and if New York decides his fit is broad enough to justify paying the price. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees May Have Found A Real Answer To Their Catcher Problem
Austin Wells has shown signs of settling in lately, but the Yankees still do not have much overall offensive production from the catcher spot, which is why the front office is at least exploring upgrades. The search is not limited to one name, either, with Hunter Goodman and Ryan Jeffers among the options being discussed as New York looks for a more reliable answer behind the plate.
Miamis Liam Hicks fits the kind of profile that can make a team pause, since he brings versatility and long-term control, but the Marlins are not acting like sellers. Any deal would likely require real value going back the other way, the sort of major league-ready piece that could force the Yankees to decide how aggressive they want to be if they are serious about solving this position for more than just the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]