The New York Yankees are 56-21.
They were 22-6 in June, so they aren’t about to slow down.
Yet, they did it with not one, but two regular players struggling mightily.
“Joey Gallo and Josh Donaldson in the month of June… Gallo: .138 (9-for-65), 32 K, 4 HR, 11 RBI (22 G). Donaldson: .205 (17-for-83), 28 K, 1 HR, 7 RBI (22 G),” Max Goodman of SI.com tweeted.
Joey Gallo and Josh Donaldson in the month of June…
Gallo: .138 (9-for-65), 32 K, 4 HR, 11 RBI (22 G)
Donaldson: .205 (17-for-83), 28 K, 1 HR, 7 RBI (22 G)— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) July 1, 2022
Wow.
Those are a lot of strikeouts.
Gallo hasn’t been able to show his worth since coming over to the Bronx before last year’s trade deadline.
His average as a Yankee doesn’t even break .200.
That wouldn’t be much of a problem if he was walking at a high clip and bopping homers left and right.
That hasn’t happened, though: he only has nine homers in 217 plate appearances.
The Yankees Have Thrived Even With Three Struggling Regulars
He is eager to improve, is willing to walk and plays good defense in the outfield, but things just aren’t happening for him at the plate.
Meanwhile, the Yankees appear to have another problem at third base: Donaldson hasn’t been hitting lately.
He had a single home run in June, against 28 strikeouts, with a batting average that barely surpassed the Mendoza line.
If the Yankees are dominating baseball with two subpar offensive players (three, if we count shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa), imagine what they could do with the right reinforcements at the deadline.
Donaldson will likely stick as the starting third baseman, but they will surely explore trade options in the outfield to help replace Gallo and Aaron Hicks.
If they make the right moves, the Yankees could be unstoppable in the stretch run and the playoffs.
That’s a big if, though.
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