dpThe New York Yankees are 54-42 and three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. At times, they’ve looked like the best team in the league. Other times, they’ve looked entirely flawed and in need of major upgrades.
Given how weak the AL is this season, the Yankees are almost a lock to head to the postseason, barring a collapse of epic proportions. FanGraphs puts their odds at 97.2 percent.
“We’ve given ourselves a chance to realize all our hopes and dreams,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday. “Our goal is to play for and win a championship, and that’s still there for the taking. It’s going to be a long road, a tough road, but hopefully one that we’re up to the challenge for.”
The Yankees resume their season Friday night against the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Here are our midseason grades for the Yankees players as the second half gets underway.
(Pitchers with five or fewer outings and hitters with fewer than 35 plate appearances are not listed.)
Pitchers
David Bednar, RHP
Chris Kirschner grade: B+
Bednar has been a new pitcher since cutting his curveball usage after blowing a save against the New York Mets on May 17. Since then, he’s been virtually unhittable. It’s hard to give him an A, though, given his early-season struggles.
Brendan Kuty grade: A-
Bednar hasn’t given up an earned run since May 18, and there aren’t many fans pining for the days of Devin Williams.
Jake Bird, RHP
Kirschner grade: D-
There just aren’t many things Bird does particularly well outside of limiting walks. He hangs too many sweepers over the heart of the plate, which often results in loud contact.
Kuty grade: D
The stuff is undeniable, but he should become another team’s project by the trade deadline.
Paul Blackburn, RHP
Kirschner grade: A
What a revelation Blackburn has been. There were many — myself included — who did not understand why the Yankees needed two long men in their bullpen, but Blackburn has carved out a role as a traditional reliever, slowly earning his way into the circle of trust.
Kuty grade: A
Boone recently refused to liken Blackburn’s role to the one Luke Weaver played in 2024 and 2025, but I will. He deserves to keep getting high-leverage looks.
Angel Chivilli, RHP
Kirschner grade: Incomplete
I don’t think we’ll see Chivilli on the postseason roster, but he’s been solid as of late. His two-inning appearance last week against the Tampa Bay Rays was clutch.
Kuty grade: Incomplete
A crackling 97.8 mph fastball makes it easy to see what the Yankees like in him, but can he stick in the majors past the trade deadline?
Gerrit Cole, RHP
Kirschner grade: C
Cole has been fine. He’s weirdly not getting much swing-and-miss, even though the stuff is good. He owns a 4.04 ERA and a strikeout rate of 22.7 percent, which is near league average. The command has been hit or miss, which isn’t surprising since he’s coming off a long layoff.
Kuty grade: B-
Cole gets a small pass because he’s returning from Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees need him to get his command right by October.
Fernando Cruz has a 2.25 ERA, 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and an A grade from our beat writers. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
Fernando Cruz, RHP
Kirschner grade: A
Cruz has been spectacular. He’s everything you could want in a pitcher. He strikes out batters at a 29.9 percent clip and ranks in the top percentile in hard-hit rate. Cruz has also stranded 30 of 35 inherited runners this season as the Yankees’ fireman.
Kuty grade: A
The splitter has been disgusting; he’s never afraid of a big moment, and a 40.9 percent whiff rate helps, too.
Camilo Doval, RHP
Kirschner grade: F
What a confounding pitcher. The talent is undeniably there, and yet it’s impossible to trust Doval when he’s in the game. He’s impossible to write off because few in the world can throw a baseball as hard as he can, and yet it doesn’t matter when he’s this ineffective.
Kuty grade: D-
The Yankees have pushed him so far down the pecking order that the next logical step would be a demotion to Triple A or to work at a concession stand.
Max Fried, LHP
Kirschner grade: B
Fried’s command didn’t look good in spring training, and those struggles persisted until he injured his elbow in May. But even without his usual A-plus command, Fried was effective. He pitched to a 3.21 ERA and didn’t allow much hard contact, which is what he’s known for.
Kuty grade: A-
Fried didn’t look like himself in April, and he was probably dealing with the elbow bone bruise earlier than he let on. Still, he mostly shoved.
Brent Headrick, LHP
Kirschner grade: A+
Boone deserves credit here: In the offseason, the manager said he thought Headrick would be an important reliever for the Yankees this season. He’s arguably become their best reliever, period. He has a 1.55 ERA and gets lefties and righties out.
Kuty grade: A
It’s hard to blame the Yankees for running Headrick out there 47 times — the second-most appearances in MLB. He’s been lights out.
Tim Hill, LHP
Kirschner grade: F
It’s hard to use a pitcher who is this ineffective against right-handed hitters. Righties have a 1.033 OPS against Hill this season. Opposing managers immediately raid their bench for right-handed hitters whenever he’s on the mound. He has a 6.17 ERA since May 1, and he’s not generating as many groundballs. For the time being, he cannot be trusted in any high-leverage spot.
Kuty grade: C-
Hill is not locating his sinker, and when it’s just 88 mph, it’s going to keep getting crushed. He had a 1.37 ERA and a .203 batting average against through his first 23 games.
Carlos Rodón, LHP
Kirschner grade: B
You know what kind of performance Rodón will have nearly every time he takes the mound. He’s going to pitch five or six innings and allow three or fewer runs. That’s good enough to win most games when this offense is clicking.
Kuty grade: B
Effective when healthy. How many thought he’d turn into someone who relied so much on secondary pitches?
Cam Schlittler, RHP
Kirschner grade: A+
He’s the early favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. It is a pleasure to watch Schlittler pitch every fifth day. What a success story for the Yankees’ player development department.
Kuty grade: A+
Dominant and unique. It was at least a little silly Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider wasn’t going to pick him to start the All-Star Game for the AL even if he wanted to pitch.
Will Warren, RHP
Kirschner grade: C
Listeners of my podcast, “The Views from 314ft,” know I’ve been high on Warren since he debuted. He has the talent to be a frontline starter, but I’m not sure whether he’ll ever get there. The inconsistencies are too much to overlook.
Kuty grade: C+
Warren looks like he should dominate, but lefties have a .790 OPS against him.
Ryan Weathers, LHP
Kirschner grade: C
For a No. 4/5 starter, Weathers has been solid. He gets many strikeouts and limits walks but can be susceptible to hard contact. He’s allowed the ninth-most home runs this season.
Kuty grade: B-
Weathers has probably been a little better than I expected, given the workload and injury worries that accompanied him to New York.
Ryan Yarbrough, LHP
Kirschner grade: D
He’s a long-man reliever who can’t really give the Yankees length when they need it. There’s not much need for him on the roster.
Kuty grade: C
The mop-up guy.
Hitters
J.C. Escarra, C
Kirschner grade: D
Boone has frequently said he expects Escarra to hit in the majors, but he hasn’t yet. He posted a 41 wRC+ in 92 plate appearances before getting optioned to Triple A.
Kuty grade: C-
It’s not his fault Boone said he could be a top-15 catcher if he played every day and then sat behind Austin Wells, who has been terrible.
Ali Sánchez, C
Kirschner grade: Incomplete
It’s hard to fully judge him. He’s played in just 18 games, although I’m sure many fans love when he’s behind the plate because it means Wells is on the bench.
Kuty grade: C
He’s been serviceable on both sides as the Yankees work behind the scenes to add a better righty-hitting catcher before the trade deadline.
Austin Wells, C
Kirschner grade: F
Yes, Wells is important to the pitching staff, but his offense has been downright disastrous. A couple of home runs in the past week helped move him up the leaderboard to … the second-worst hitter in the sport, just ahead of Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. No amount of framing can make up for the offense, which is still pacing to be one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
Kuty grade: D-
Wells’ saving grace is his framing; the Yankees’ pitchers have been good, and they like throwing to him. Everything else has been rough, though.
José Caballero, UTIL
Kirschner grade: B
Caballero should probably be the starting shortstop over Anthony Volpe, but he’s also best in a utility role. The Yankees don’t have the best answer available to them right now at shortstop, but Caballero has been better than expected.
Kuty grade: B+
He came in as the expected utilityman and now looks like he might be the most dependable shortstop on the roster.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has 2 1/2 months to turn around his underwhelming season. He’ll be a free agent this winter. (Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
Kirschner grade: D
Relative to expectations, it’s hard to go much higher than this. He has a 95 wRC+, and his contact quality metrics suggest he should be worse.
Kuty grade: D+
A sub-.700 OPS and a lollipop at second base in a contract year?
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
Kirschner grade: A
Goldschmidt has slowed down over the past few weeks, but there was a stretch when he was one of the Yankees’ best hitters. He entered this season as a bench player but has been forced into a bigger role because of Giancarlo Stanton’s injury.
Kuty grade: A-
Has a 124 wRC+ in a mostly full-time role when he was signed to be the good-vibes veteran backup.
Ryan McMahon, 3B
Kirschner grade: D
Even with spending time in a platoon role, McMahon has an 83 wRC+ this season. That’s not going to cut it for someone making $16 million. He’s had some clutch hits, but third base is a problem for the Yankees that is less talked about than shortstop.
Kuty grade: D-
Some big hits, but advanced stats say he’s taken a step back defensively (minus-2 Defensive Runs Saved) and is having his worst offensive season.
Ben Rice, 1B
Kirschner grade: A+
What a special hitter. It’s gotten to the point where you expect him to deliver in the biggest spots.
Kuty grade: A+
Where would the Yankees be without Rice? He’s doing his best 2024 Juan Soto impression.
Amed Rosario, 3B
Kirschner grade: D
Rosario was signed to hit lefties, and he hasn’t done it this season. He has an 82 wRC+ versus lefties and a 132 wRC+ against righties. That’s not ideal because the Yankees are mostly playing the lefty-hitting McMahon against righties. Also, Rosario is nearly unplayable defensively. How does he get any time in the field come October?
Kuty grade: B-
Rosario can still hit, but you still tense up whenever the ball is hit to him at third base.
Max Schuemann, UTIL
Kirschner grade: A
For his role, he’s been everything you could want. He hits the ball hard and doesn’t chase pitches outside the strike zone.
Kuty grade: A
He plays everywhere, and he’s even hit a bit (.397 on-base percentage in 68 plate appearances). He’s what the Yankees wanted Oswaldo Cabrera to be.
Anthony Volpe, SS
Kirschner grade: C
Volpe receives more vitriol than is warranted. That doesn’t mean he’s a particularly impactful player, but he’s serviceable. He has a 95 wRC+ this season and 6 Outs Above Average, which is elite. He has not delivered on his prospect status, but it doesn’t mean he’s bad.
Kuty grade: D+
It’s Year 4 for Volpe, and we’re talking about someone who should be the starting shortstop. It’s not just about performance. It’s about taking that next step.
Cody Bellinger, LF
Kirschner grade: B
If we turned in this report card May 31, Bellinger would’ve received an A. Since June 1, he’s posted a 76 wRC+. The Yankees need more from him with Judge sidelined. Part of the reason they went on their annual swoon was because of Bellinger’s lack of offense, but the defense has remained incredible all season.
Kuty grade: A-
The Yankees haven’t had a better defensive left fielder since Brett Gardner. Bellinger just fits in pinstripes.
Jasson Domínguez, LF/RF
Kirschner grade: D-
It’s fair to say Domínguez has been a disappointment. He’s still a brutal defender, and I’m unsure whether he’ll ever be passable in the field. He also has an 88 wRC+. Bad defense and bad offense mean a near-failing grade.
Kuty grade: D
Domínguez has been an everyday player for about a month, and he hasn’t hit enough (.702 OPS in his last 27 games) for the Yankees to feel better about his bad defense.
Trent Grisham, CF
Kirschner grade: B
He had a brutally unlucky April. It seemed like every hard-hit ball Grisham had found a glove. His luck has turned since the start of May, which has resulted in a 114 wRC+ overall.
Kuty grade: C
For $22.025 million, the qualifying offer salary he’s making, the Yankees need more offense from Grisham the rest of the way. He’s been fine overall, though.
Spencer Jones, OF
Kirschner grade: B-
In 30 games, he has a 96 wRC+, which is still below average, but it’s better than I expected. I am surprised he’s hit only two home runs. He still strikes out way too much to believe this profile can sustainably work in a larger sample.
Kuty grade: B-
Jones looked much more settled in his second stint with the big-league team in May. It’s hard to see how he could get more big-league time without needing another player to go on the injured list, though.
Aaron Judge, RF
Kirschner grade: B
This grade is relative to expectations. For typical hitters, a 149 wRC+ might be a career year. But for Judge, that is a steep decline. (For reference, he posted a 204 wRC+ last season.) It’s unclear how much, if at all, Judge’s playing through his rib injury had an impact on his performance. It likely did to some degree, but no one has definitely addressed it.
Kuty grade: A
Judge’s absence is again proving how important he is to this offense, which at times has looked hopeless since he last played May 31.
Giancarlo Stanton, DH
Kirschner grade: F
Stanton played in 24 games and posted a 102 wRC+. That’s not good enough for a designated hitter-only bat who is a negative on the bases. He’s been sidelined nearly three months because of multiple calf strains.
Kuty grade: D-
On April 24, Stanton strained his right calf advancing to second base on a walk, and he hasn’t played a game since.
