July is the month when the Yankees’ roster decisions stop being theoretical. With the draft, the All-Star Game and then the Aug. 3 trade deadline all packed into the second half of the season, Brian Cashman is staring at a stretch that should force real movement. After a rough end to June, the pressure is on to give Aaron Boone a better hand before the month is over.
That means upgrades are very much on the table, and the Yankees have obvious spots where outside help could make a fast impact. Catcher, shortstop and the outfield all stand out, and three current Yankees look vulnerable if Cashman can line up a deal.
Austin Wells is the clearest name on that list. The Yankees’ issues behind the plate have been there since Opening Day, and while J.C.
Escarra and Ali Sánchez have filled innings, Wells is the one carrying the burden of the club’s catcher problem. He hit .219 with a .712 OPS in 126 games last season, and his 21 home runs and 71 RBIs gave the Yankees enough offense to live with the rest.
That hasn’t happened in 2026. Entering Tuesday’s action, Wells was sitting on a .155/.255/.238 line with four home runs, 10 RBIs and a 27.1% strikeout rate in 56 games.
June didn’t help his case. In 12 games, he batted .061 with a .152 OPS, struck out 11 times in 33 at-bats and didn’t draw a walk.
The defense and pitch framing are still strong, but the Yankees can’t lean on that if the bat keeps turning into an out almost every trip. The case for looking elsewhere behind the plate is hard to ignore.
Shortstop is another spot that still needs attention, and Anthony Volpe’s June made that impossible to miss. In 23 games and 71 at-bats last month, he hit .239 with a .310 slugging percentage and a .635 OPS.
He didn’t homer once, drove in five runs, walked nine times and struck out 17 times. He was also caught stealing on two of five attempts.
The slump only deepened late in the month. Volpe had just one hit in his last 17 at-bats before Tuesday’s game against Detroit, a stretch that left him with a .059 batting average and a .175 xBA, according to Baseball Savant.
The Yankees don’t have an obvious internal fix waiting in the wings. José Caballero started when Volpe was out earlier this season, but his own production has faded.
Ryan McMahon is injured, and top prospect George Lombard Jr. still hasn’t gotten his first MLB look. If New York wants a real upgrade at short, the trade market is the likeliest route.
Jasson Domínguez rounds out the group. His season has already taken a few turns, beginning with a stint in the minors and then getting interrupted again by injury once he reached the majors.
There have been bright spots - three home runs and four stolen bases on four attempts - but the overall line hasn’t been strong enough. Through his first 24 games and 86 at-bats, Domínguez was hitting .209/.253/.395 with a 35.4% hard-hit rate and a .304 rOBA.
His 28.4% whiff rate, 3.1% barrel percentage and 36.2% chase rate also point to a hitter the Yankees may need to upgrade.
That doesn’t mean Domínguez is out of the picture long term. It does mean the Yankees need better production now if they want to keep pushing toward the World Series drought they’re still trying to end.
There is some help on the horizon. Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham are expected back sooner rather than later, which would push Domínguez and Spencer Jones out of the starting lineup and possibly back to the bench or Triple-A.
If New York doesn’t want Domínguez in a reserve role, the front office can also look for affordable veterans or rentals on expiring contracts before the deadline. That kind of move would let the Yankees improve Boone’s lineup without paying the price for a blockbuster.
In Other News...
Yankees May Have Found Their Best Shot At A Bullpen Fix
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For a club still navigating reliever uncertainty, Cruzs return is less about a single appearance and more about whether he can provide some needed stability at a time when every roster move gets viewed through the lens of the trade deadline. The Yankees have been trying to piece together reliable innings while other arms have wobbled, and another internal call-up gives them one more chance to find help without having to pay a bigger price on the market. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Make Another Annoying AL East Depth Move Yankees Fans Know Too Well
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Slater, 33, has already spent time with three organizations this year and has appeared in 28 games while struggling to get much going at the plate. He previously carved out most of his big league career with the Giants over eight seasons, and now Tampa Bay is betting there may still be a use for him if it needs a familiar bench piece down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Offense Just Reached A Breaking Point Fans Feared Most
The Yankees offense has gone from shaky to flat-out alarming over a recent four-game stretch, with the kind of missed chances and empty innings that make every absence feel bigger. Without key pieces in the lineup, New York has struggled to generate much of anything against the Red Sox and Tigers, and the results have only sharpened the focus on how thin the margin is when the bats disappear.
What makes the skid feel even heavier is that the Yankees had been hanging in there until the trip through Fenway, when the problems seemed to deepen and the whole attack started to look out of sync. At the same time, the club is still waiting for clarity on its injured stars, and the questions around health and coaching decisions are starting to hang over the lineup as much as the results themselves. [Read more 🡒]