Here are five things to watch as the Yankees and Seattle Mariners play a three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting on Tuesday night…
1. Who will step up for the Yankee offense?
With Aaron Judge on the IL, the Yankees offense has been struggling mightily.
The Yankees just aren’t getting that big hit when they need it right now.
They scored just eight runs over the three game series sweep at the hands of the Red Sox this weekend. In the nightcap of Sunday’s doubleheader, they finished 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson, Anthony Volpeand Giancarlo Stanton are all struggling.
In June, LeMahieu has just six hits in 35 at-bats (.171 average), Donaldson has six hits in 37 at-bats (.162), Volpe has seven hits in 42 (.167) and Stanton has five in 41 ( .122).
They’re going to have to turn things around for this Yankees offense if they hope to get back on the right track.
2. Bader back?
Thankfully for the Yankees, they will likely be getting some reinforcements on Tuesday night, as an outfielder Harrison Bader is expected to be activated off the injured list.
Bader has been out since the beginning of June due to a low-grade hamstring strain.
He was originally expected to be back for the Boston series, but the team pushed back his timeline to get him more rehab games. Bader’s gone 2-for-12 with five strikeouts across three games.
In 26 games prior to the injury, the speedy outfielder was hitting .267 with a .806 OPS, two triples, six homers, six stolen bases, and 19 RBI.
3. Cole looks to stay on a roll
Gerrit Cole has been the guy for the Yankees all season long.
He currently leads the league with 15 starts on the year, one of which was a shutout. Over that span, he’s 7-1 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts.
Cole again pitched spectacularly his last time out, but his offense cost him his eighth win. He allowed just one run and struck out eight over six dominant innings against the Mets.
This continues a stretch of great pitching from Cole. After allowing a combined 10 runs over his last two starts in May, he has gotten off to a terrific start in June.
Cole’s allowed just four runs and threw six innings in each of his last three outings. He’ll look to keep that going against George Kirby in the series opener on Tuesday.
4. Stanton back in the outfield?
Bader isn’t the only Yankee expected to make a return on Tuesday night. Aaron Boone told reporters pregame on Sunday that there’s a chance Stanton will return to left field during Tuesday’s game.
The Yankees have been waiting for Stanton to feel comfortable enough to play the field after he missed the first two months of the season due to a hamstring injury.
Stanton was going to play left field on Saturday if the game wasn’t rained out, but instead he served as the DH in both games of Sunday’s doubleheader.
He’s appeared in the field just five times in 25 games so far this year.
5. Will J-Rod’s struggles continue?
Mariners superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez has been struggling in his second season at the big league level.
After taking home the Rookie of the Year last season, J-Rod is hitting just .244 with a .730 OPS, 27 extra-base hits, and 39 RBI through 68 games this season.
He’s struck out 82 times and his 37.7 percent chase rate ranks in the ninth percentile in all of baseball.
Rodriguez is coming off a two-RBI day on Sunday against the White Sox, but he’s hitting just .194 with a .500 OPS and no home runs over his last seven games.
The 22-year-old slugger can turn things around quickly though, so the Yanks have to hope it isn’t during this three-game series.