Bullet point summary by AI
- The Yankees face a critical juncture as key injuries cloud their trade deadline strategy.
- The team’s offensive struggles and rotation weaknesses hinge on the health of several high-profile players.
- Cashman’s decisions at the deadline now rest on whether enough stars return to give New York a realistic World Series shot.
The Yankees‘ passionate fan base is desperate to see GM Brian Cashman start to make trades to fortify the roster ahead of a World Series push. Cashman and his staff are just as desperate to see a handful of their injured stars get back on the diamond. The potential timeline of the returns of Aaron Judge, Max Fried and others will impact what New York does in the trade market.
The biggest injury news of the week is a downer for the Yankees. Aaron Judge’s latest imaging shows that his rib injury is improving, but not enough to resume upper-body activities. That likely means he won’t be ready to return to the Bronx for another six weeks at minimum.
Fans did receive some better news on two key starting pitchers. Max Fried has progressed enough to start his rehabilitation in AAA. The talented southpaw is due to start that assignment with a start for Scranton on Friday night. He’ll need to start a few games in the minors without incident to build his stamina up before a return to the majors.
Carlos Rodon also took a step up in his recovery this week by throwing 10 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday. Giancarlo Stanton did the same by starting a running program. It’s unclear just how close either big-name player is to rejoining manager Aaron Boone’s squad.
How the Yankees’ injury crisis impacts their trade deadline plans
Judge’s injury is, by far, the most important variable for Cashman to consider. The team’s offense has cratered without him anchoring the middle of Boone’s lineup. There’s still time for him to get up and running ahead of a postseason push, but the recent bad news has removed a healthy amount of the margin for error.
If Judge can’t get back in time for the playoffs then Cashman may decide it’s not worth making a needle-moving trade this year. That might disappoint scores of Yankees fans desperate to see their World Series drought end. It might also be the right course of action for such a flawed roster.
Fried’s potential return could help Cashman in several ways. First, he can be the anchor of a rotation that has the potential to power a dynamic stretch run. Second, it might allow him to move someone like Ryan Weathers to the bullpen. Moving Weathers would take pressure off of Cashman to find a reliever with swing-and-miss stuff at the deadline.
The same logic applies to Rodon to a lesser extent. He lacks the upside that Fried possesses, but he can give the Yankees a middle-of-the-rotation starter who boosts their flexibility down the stretch.
Stanton’s potential return is more of a hope than a plan for the Yankees given his sordid injury history. They would love him to get back ahead of the playoffs to help lengthen their lineup. They won’t make concrete plans based on his return though. He’s a wild card for the Yankees now.
The irony here is that none of these returns directly impact potential moves at catcher, shortstop or even third base. Those big holes in the roster provide big potential upgrade opportunities if Cashman can find the right player at the right price. The Yankees will only make that kind of move if they get several healthy returns in the coming weeks. Any big setbacks could cause Cashman to stand pat instead of taking a big swing.
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