The New York Yankees need a change. The team is in the midst of a prolonged struggle (20-40) that seems to have no end in sight, and with every misstep New York is getting closer and closer to losing their grip on the season completely.
Changes will come as the Yankees have several players on the injured list ramping up towards making returns to action, but that’s not the kind of change the team needs. Something more drastic needs to happen — something bold to really shake things up. In all reality, only one move won’t suffice.
The Yankees should look at players who survived the trade deadline, but are sure to be gone in the offseason, and consider whether or not a change needs to be made earlier. In other cases, they don’t need to show some pieces the door for good, but a clear message must be sent, and some seemingly safe players need a serious wake-up call.
Reliever Yerry De los Santos should stay on the roster over the likes of Jonathan Loaisiga and Mark Leiter Jr.
Yerry De los Santos just returned to the 26-man roster, but that doesn’t mean his reign will be long. As the Yankees prepare to welcome back Jonathan Loaisiga, there’s a chance they could option De los Santos to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in order to make room.
The peripherals don’t look great for the former Pittsburgh Pirate, but with a 1.63 ERA on the season, you can’t argue with the results. In that way, he’s much the opposite of Leiter Jr., who routinely underperforms his stellar peripherals. Not only that, De los Santos is capable of providing length out of the ‘pen in a way that Loaisiga and Leiter Jr. can’t be trusted to do.
Yes, Ryan Yarbrough should be back soon and is capable of handling a bulk role, but the Yankees should have a different plan for the veteran southpaw. Instead, De los Santos should remain in his role, and Loaisiga or Leiter Jr. should be shown the door whenever the time comes.
Starting pitcher Cam Schlittler should be sent down in favor of Ryan Yarbrough re-entering the starting rotation
As impressive as the rookie has been at times, dazzling fans with his high-octane fastball, the one thing that has become clear with Cam Schlittler is that he doesn’t always have full command of his arsenal. With a 5.03 BB/9 and a 2.29 HR/9, it’s clear that he misses his target far too often, both inside and outside of the strike zone.
With just 25 1/3 innings pitched at Triple-A, there’s a legitimate question as to whether or not the 24-year-old would benefit from some more seasoning at the minors’ highest level while the club determines whether sticking by him or re-inserting Ryan Yarbrough into the rotation when he comes off the IL gives it the best chance to win games down the stretch.
Catcher Austin Wells should give way to Ben Rice and J.C. Escarra behind the plate
Austin Wells has never found his groove this season, but his latest struggles have made his presence in the lineup completely untenable. The young catcher has been an automatic out since the All-Star break with a putrid .334 OPS in the second half that simply can’t continue.
Meanwhile, every game that Wells starts behind the dish means that the team is leaving one of its better bats on the bench as it struggles to find playing time for both Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt. Perhaps the best way to proceed forward would be to make Rice the primary catcher and recall J.C. Escarra to handle backup duties. That would either send Wells to Triple-A or perhaps even to the IL to address his strange medical issue.
Reliever Devin Williams should be given his walking papers now rather than later
As an impending free agent, there is simply no way that Devin Williams is anything but one-and-done in the Bronx. After a run as one of the most dominant closers in baseball, Williams hasn’t looked the same since surrendering a season-ending three-run homer to Pete Alonso in last year’s playoffs.
Outside of a 0.93 ERA in June, Williams has been an unmitigated disaster and might be pitching worse now than he did at the height of his early-season struggles. Over 8 2/3 second-half innings, he’s posted an eye-popping 10.38 ERA and allowed a terrifying .703 slugging percentage.
This might be a longshot given his pedigree, but there’s a chance the Yankees decided they can take no more and put the former All-Star on waivers. If that were to happen, it would signal that the club believes the righty is beyond repair, and no amount of role changes or other coddling will be able to bring about a return to form. This would be admitting defeat, something the Yankees hate to do, but after his latest blowup, it might be necessary.
