THE BRONX, NY – For the second time this season, the Yankees are dealing with a COVID outbreak among vaccinated players. This outbreak looks set to blow up the weekend 4-game series against the Sawx and derail any chance of the Yanks making a run. Last night’s game was postponed after three confirmed positive tests, with three more awaiting results from additional testing after testing positive on rapid tests.
We now know that the six Yankees who tested positive are Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes, Wandy Peralta, Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka, and Gio Urshela. Loaisiga appears to be patient zero of this current outbreak. He tested positive last weekend in Houston and did not travel with the team back to New York. Judge then played in the All-Star Game Tuesday night, potentially exposing players from many teams. But we will need to wait to see if anything comes of that development.
In the meantime, the #NYY are out three pitchers and three position players for this critical stretch that sees them play first-place Boston eight times over the next couple of weeks. Catching the Red Sox seems a bridge too far at this point. With the trade deadline coming up on July 30th, the Yankees have some decisions to make. The main decision isn’t whether to buy or sell. It’s becoming painfully clear that this year’s team isn’t in a position to contend. the main question is what pieces to sell.
The main question on my mind is what happens with the coaching staff and front office? I don’t think Aaron Boone deserves any blame for the Yankees predicament. But Yankee managers have been fired for less. I do think the Yankees need to reevaluate Brian Cashman’s position. There are no lefty bats in the lineup of a team that plays 81 games at Yankee Stadium. How does that happen? t’s time to shake up the front office. Cashman has had a good run but his tenure has run its course. In the meantime lets hope there are no more instances of COVID on the Yanks and throughout the league.
Across town, the Mets are in first place and enter the second half of the season on the back of another Pete Alonso victory in the Homerun Derby. The Met’s are a modest 7 games over .500 but they lead the Philadelphia Phillies by 3.5 games. They’ll look to pad their lead in the second half and hope to have Noah Syndergaard back in the rotation sometime in September.
One of New York’s baseball teams is climbing and the other is sinking. But… have the roles have been reversed and is it the team in Queens that is in the ascendancy???
Feel free to comment below and come back tomorrow for Short Matt, who is faffing someplace.
