The Yankees’ deep roster flexes its power as they maintain MLB’s best record
Seventy games into the 162-game Major League Baseball regular season, the Yankees have solidified themselves as one of the best teams in the sport. They were 48-21 before facing the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night in the third game of a four-game road series. The Yankees held a 2 1/2 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East division and had the most wins in MLB, two more than the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies, who were 46-20.
The Yankees depth throughout their roster has been a key strength. They hosted the preseason World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers—who led the NL West with a 42-26 record when MLBs schedule began yesterday—in the Bronx this past weekend without outfielder Juan Soto, who has been sensational playing in the final year of his contract after being acquired in a seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres in December.
Soto was batting .317 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI in 244 at-bats prior to last night’s game. But he sat out all three-games versus the Dodgers recovering from left forearm inflammation.
The Yankees dropped the series opener 2-1 in 11 innings on Friday and manager Aaron Boone’s squad was pounded 11-3 on Saturday.
The breadth of the Yankees’ quality was exemplified on Sunday when outfielder Trent Grisham, who came to the Yankees with Soto from the Padres, hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning to give New York a 6-3 lead. Grisham was the Padres’ starting center fielder last season but has played a limited role with the Yankees, appearing in just 27 games as of last night.
Another example of the team’s foundational talent base is that they have thrived without their ace, starter Gerrit Cole, who is progressing towards making his 2024 season debut. Cole was shut down in spring training with nerve inflammation in his right elbow but made his second rehab start on Sunday.
There is no definitive timetable for last season’s AL Cy Young Award winner to return to the rotation, but there is the possibility he could be back in the fold next week. In his absence, the Yankees’ starting rotation has been superb. On Tuesday, the group received another strong outing on Long Island from native Marcus Stroman, who went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits and no earned runs to improve to 6-2. Stroman is 4-0 in his last six starts.
In the game, Aaron Judge hit his 25th home run, which topped the Major’s before yesterday’s slate of games, and extended his on-base streak to 36 games, which also led the MLB.
The Yankees will be in Boston for three games this weekend beginning tomorrow and then be back home to meet the Orioles for three Tuesday through Thursday.
The post The Yankees’ deep roster flexes its power as they maintain MLB’s best record appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.