With the All-Star break in the rearview mirror, it’s nearly time for major players Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Clay Holmes, and Pete Alonzo to get back to the regular season.
The 2024 MLB All-Star game on Tuesday night marked the inaugural game for Soto and Judge, who played together as Yankees teammates. Soto and Judge opened the game at right and center field, respectively. Soto and Judge batted third and fourth.
One night earlier, for the third year in a row, Alonso—a two-time Home Run Derby champion—competed in his fifth event and faced a first-round elimination again.
By being invited to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Judge, Soto, and Holmes were offered national recognition for their contributions to the Yankees and, of course, Alonzo’s production for the Mets.’
However, after the regular season resumes on Friday night, the All-Star festivities will be a thing of the past.
Although a 9th-inning collapse in Baltimore on Sunday denied the Yankees a chance to enter the break in first place in the AL East, they remain atop the American League Wild Card standings at 58-40.
The team has been on a somewhat dismal stretch, losing 18 of its last 26 games. Their once exceptional starting pitching has recently waned. Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton have both suffered injuries, and, other than Judge and Soto, many in the lineup have been clearly struggling.
On Monday in Arlington, Judge spoke, saying, “Everybody in our clubhouse has faith in us, and… whatever our record is right now, if you would have asked us out of spring training if we would have taken that, I think a lot of people would have signed up for that, plus more.”
“We’re a great ball club. We’re in a great position to go out and do our thing in the second half.”
Following the All-Star break, the second half opens for the Yankees with a homestead in the Bronx as they welcome the Rays for a four-game series, wrapping around the weekend.
Sitting at 48-48, the Rays are currently one of the easiest opponents remaining on the Yankees schedule this month. However, Tampa Bay took two of three during their meeting in Tampa last week.
After missing the majority of the first half with elbow inflammation, Garrett Cole is beginning to round into his superstar form and is scheduled to start on Friday.
Cole has had an uncharacteristic 5.40 ERA through five starts. However, he is fresh off a season-best six-inning outing in Baltimore, where he struck out seven and held the heavy-hitting Orioles to a single run.
The recent rebound of breakout rookie Luis Gil is also encouraging, as he posted a 2.03 ERA through his first fourteen starts. He is coming off of back-to-back stellar performances, boasting at least six innings and seven strikeouts, allowing only one run in each game.
What’s less encouraging, however, is that since June 15, the offense has ranked 28th in the majors with a .224 team batting average. They are 26 with a .387 slugging percentage and currently sit dead last with just one stolen base.
With the July 30 trade deadline only two weeks out, the Yankees could easily explore some help on offense, particularly if an impact in-fielder is made available at a reasonable price.
