With their victory over the New York Mets, the New York Yankees ended a tedious six-game losing streak. If it feels like “deja vu all over again,” that’s probably because it is. This was their second six-game losing streak in a matter of weeks; however, the circumstances couldn’t be more different.
In the prior losing streak, the team couldn’t seem to put the bat to the ball, scoring six runs over that six-game span (seven over seven games if you include their one unearned run from their victory over the Kansas City Royals). The pitching, on the other hand, was efficient.
In the latter six-game span, the pitching (and not to mention the defense) was atrocious, surrendering 54 runs. Regardless of who and what, New York had some rather clear underperformers setting the tone for what was another miserable stretch.
We can easily blame the losses on bad starts from Carlos Rodon and Will Warren, the bullpen dumpster fire brought on by Luke Weaver and Jonathan Loaisiga as well as the less-than-reliable bats of backstops Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra, but we’ll avoid rehashing the struggles of inconsistent producers (Wells and Rodon), recent IL returnees (Weaver and Loasiga) or inexperienced rookies (Warren and Escarra). Instead, we’ll focus on those at the very bottom of the barrel. With that said, let’s go over three players who’ve earned the axe.
RHP Mark Leiter Jr.
Leiter is at the forefront of the Yankees’ bullpen problems. Last season, the Yankees took a bet on his high strikeout potential. However, this aspect of his game has not led to the success of the team.
This season, Leiter owns a 4.46 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 34.1 innings, just below the 4.50 ERA he pitched to in 2024. The strikeout potential is intact, but if the Yankees can’t utilize it to their advantage, it would be better if they traded Leiter in a package for something they could use.
INF Oswald Peraza
This year, Peraza is hitting a mere .154 with three home runs in 130 at-bats. Beyond that, there isn’t much more that needs to be said.
Once a top prospect, Peraza hasn’t been able to hold his own on the major league level. Out of minor-league options coming into the season, Peraza was squeezed onto the Opening Day roster as a backup infielder. With Oswaldo Cabrera on the shelf, Peraza has become more of a regular, primarily at third, which only serves to highlight the Yankees’ lack of depth and blatant inaction. His .487 OPS is the third lowest among all third basemen with at least 100 at-bats, ahead of only Jonah Bride (.436) and Josh Rojas (.472).
SS Anthony Volpe
As upsetting as it sounds, another Yankees top prospect is failing to produce, becoming a liability both at the plate and on the diamond (in addition to injuring his team’s MVP). Hitting .219/.296/.398 with 10 home runs, Volpe’s bat has been stagnant.
On the glove side, he is responsible for -3 outs above average at shortstop according to Baseball Savant. His 11 errors this season are among the most in baseball. A Gold Glover in his rookie year of 2023, Volpe’s defense has cost the Yankees dearly in tight games numerous times this season and last.
In addition, his plus speed has also failed to make a difference. Volpe has stolen nine bases on the year but has been caught seven times. It would be a sad day in the Big Apple if the Yankees were to give up on Volpe, yet it just might spare the team from misery.
