Trouble in the Bronx? The New York Yankees still very much sit in the drivers seat in the AL East, but the Tampa Bay Rays are right on their heels and are closing that gap. While the Rays are playing a good brand of baseball, the Yankees are not and have actually been struggling.

The Yankees have been reeling, going 1-6 in their last seven games, being shutout three games in a row and out scored 11-2. It is the first time since 2016 that they’ve been shutout three games in a row. Luckily, they managed to score runs in the final two games of their season against the Angels, so there is that. They’ve dropped two series to the Boston Red Sox and have also just seen themselves lose a series to the inconsistent Los Angeles Angels. Let’s not forget last year, the Yankees were essentially a .500 ball club, going 25-26 in June and July combined. As it stands, the Yankees are 8-9 in the month of June and have seen their division cushion dwindle down.

What is it that’s been going wrong for the Yankees in this slump and also in general the month of June? Let’s take a dive.

Trouble Brewing in the Bronx?

The lights have turned off when it comes to their offense. It feels lifeless, and that even includes Aaron Judge as of recent. Judge got smothered and covered like hash browns at Waffle House, going 1-12 with a solo home run and nine strikeouts. For the first time all season, he felt human. What Judge is doing this season is absurd and it’s truly beautiful to watch. He is still doing his part, but it is very reminiscent of 2023, where he was the offense and they had nothing else around him. But the fact of the matter is, the Yankees offense has not been the power house that’s it’s been all season long and the big bad Yankees have been quite small offensively.

As a team, they are hitting just .235 this month and have a team OPS of .691. They are middle of the pack in runs (67), and even home runs, and this is a team that overall has hit the second most home runs. The bats are dry this month, and while lulls happen all the time in the game of baseball, it’s not looking great for the boys in the Bronx. Judge is still hitting .250 and has a .916 OPS this month. But the rest of the team, yikes.

Paul Goldschmidt, who has been one of the pleasant surprises this season, is having a month to forget. In June, he is hitting just .180, which is a major step back from his .554 in May. His OPS has dropped nearly 400 points and his strikeout rate has gone from 9.8% in May to 28.8% in June. He has been a bat they have enjoyed and it’s quiet this month.

Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Jasson Dominguez were all guys who had good months of May. Heck, Dominguez made some history for himself and was on a tear. But they’ve all managed to slow down, with Grisham and Dominguez both hitting .200. Dominguez and his 44 wRC+ is the second lowest on the team and last month it sat at 139. Overall, the Yankees have five batters hitting above league average and two of them are borderline. One player that has taken a significant step back is Ben Rice.

Oh what a start it was for Ben Rice. The young kid added size and added some power to his bat. His bat speed was rising and his ability to display more power was huge for this Yankees lineup. His fast start has cooled down. In April, Rice was hitting .250 with a .916 OPS and a 158 wRC+. The offense cooled down, seeing his average drop to .230 and his OPS drop into the .700’s. His 106 wRC+ was only 6% better than league average. In June, he is walking more, striking out less, but the BABIP sitting at .162 tells me that he’s getting unlucky at the plate and his GB% sits at 58% in this monthly span, which doesn’t help. Rice is a good player and has promise, but it’s been underwhelming and tough on their depth.

Judge is human and he can only do so much himself. Furthermore, the pitching overall this month has been solid and they aren’t getting the support behind them.

In the month of June, the Yankees have the eighth best ERA (3.22). Their starting rotation, sits eighth and the bullpen at ninth. Pitching has been good enough to win games, but the offense is nowhere to be found.

There’s trouble in the Bronx, but baseball is a long season, so there is no need to panic. Not yet at least.

Up next; a series against the lowly Orioles.