Daily Report – 7/28/25
Here is today’s report:
Yankees
The 2025 New York Yankees’ season was over. And then it wasn’t. On Saturday, the Yankees announced Aaron Judge was undergoing imaging for an “elbow issue.” Losing Aaron Judge for the year would mark the end of the Yankees’ season. In Tuesday’s game in Toronto, cameras caught Judge wincing after making a throw from right field. He served as the Yankees’ designated hitter the following day, the reason for which manager Aaron Boone later admitted was related to the discomfort Judge was feeling. He returned to right field on Friday night, but he struggled to make plays. The next morning, he was left out of the Yankees’ lineup.
It feels like whenever a baseball player experiences an elbow injury, they ultimately need Tommy John surgery. Luckily, Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a right flexor strain, and because his UCL is completely intact, he has been placed on the 10-day injured list. He hopes to start swinging a bat later this week and return to the lineup after the minimum 10 days.
With the trade deadline approaching on Thursday, the Yankees might have been at a crossroads between being buyers and sellers if Judge’s injury were season-ending. Now, despite a rough series loss to the Phillies this weekend, the Yankees can continue to be aggressive buyers. Their first move came on Friday when they acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitching prospects Josh Grosz and Griffin Herring.
McMahon isn’t as strong a hitter as the coveted third-base star Eugenio Suárez (his 130 strikeouts are the third-most in Major League Baseball), but his average exit velocity ranks in the league’s 97th percentile, and his defensive range ranks in the league’s 91st percentile. McMahon’s defense is his biggest strength, and he showcased it this weekend. “Honestly, just excited to do something to help the team,” said McMahon, who went 2-for-3 against Philadelphia yesterday and made a couple of masterful plays at the hot corner. “Wins are important right now, so that’s the end goal. Happy to be doing some solid stuff out there and ready for the next one.”
Winning is important for the Yankees, especially because they rank 5.5 games behind Toronto for the American League East division lead, and one game ahead of Boston for second place in the division and the first AL Wild Card spot. General manager Brian Cashman can be aggressive at this deadline. So far, he has acquired Amed Rosario on Saturday to be a platoon option for Ryan McMahon, and today, he sent Carlos Carrasco to Atlanta in exchange for cash. However, hasn’t made any needle-threading trades yet, and it remains unclear if he believes this Yankees roster is good enough to contend for a championship.
While this team is strong offensively, defense and pitching have been their biggest issues. They have a couple of strong starting pitchers in Max Fried and Carlos Rodón (although Fried has struggled mightily in July and Rodón gave up three home runs yesterday). They need another starting arm, and while reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is expected to return by mid-August, there is no guarantee he’ll be as strong as he was last year.
The Yankees’ bullpen has been among the worst in baseball since mid-June. Cashman should target at least two proven relief pitchers, including at least one lefty, since Tim Hill is the team’s only left-handed reliever. He should also find a proven right-handed starting pitcher, preferably a rental that can have a mighty impact on this Yankees team. There are plenty of players available for the Yankees to acquire, although the availability of star-caliber starting pitching is limited, suggesting the Yankees will have to give up a lot.
The Yankees have a lot of issues to fix, and a couple of trades might not be enough. However, the level of talent on this team is undeniable, and with the right deadline acquisitions, this group has the potential to go far.
On Wednesday, Carlos Rodón gave up three solo home runs to Philadelphia, including two to Otto Kemp, but he did just enough to stop the bleeding after a 12-5 loss on Friday and a 9-4 loss on Saturday. The Yankees won 4-3 on Sunday, thanks to a dominant bullpen performance, great defense, and a big hit from Ryan McMahon. The win was imposing because the Yankees scored all four of their runs against Zack Wheeler, one of the best starters in baseball.
In the top of the second inning, Carlos Rodón surrendered solo shots to Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp. In the bottom of the frame, the Yankees battled back. Giancarlo Stanton led off with a single to right field, and Jazz Chisholm reached after getting hit by a pitch. Jasson Domínguez then received a plunk of his own, loading the bases for Ryan McMahon. Without missing a beat, McMahon drove a hanging curveball down the right-field line, plating Stanton and Chisholm. Then, with one out, Austin Wells put the Yankees ahead with a sacrifice fly, and the final run came off a single by Trent Grisham.
Cody Bellinger led off the bottom of the third inning with a triple to right field, his fourth of the season, but after Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging, Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined out to center field. JT Realmuto leapt up to grab Johan Rojas’s long throw home, and he managed to tag out Bellinger.
In the top of the fifth inning, Philadelphia applied pressure as Otto Kemp crushed his second home run of the game. With Carlos Rodón on the mound, Edmundo Sosa then deflected an outside changeup off Carlos Rodón for an infield single. Weston Wilson then worked a walk, putting runners at first and second for Johan Rojas, who struck out looking. Then, leadoff hitter Trea Turner grounded out as Ryan McMahon collected the hard-hit baseball, spun around, and hurled a throw across the diamond to put out the speedy Turner.
“First impressions are usually pretty big,” said McMahon. “I want these guys to know that I’m going to try to do everything I can to help them win games.”
Following Turner’s groundout, with two outs and runners at second and third, Kyle Schwarber lifted a ball high toward the right-field fence, and it looked like it was going to leave the yard. Schwarber blasted two home runs in Friday’s game, including a scorching line drive over the right-field porch, so it felt like once that ball was in the air, it was gone for sure. But suddenly, Cody Bellinger appeared to make the catch.
In the top of the sixth inning, Bryce Harper flied out to center field, and Aaron Boone decided to put the struggling Jonathan Loáisiga in for Rodón. Remarkably, Loáisiga finished off the side without allowing a run. In the top of the seventh inning, with the Yankees leading 4-3, Luke Weaver worked a one-two-three inning against the bottom of Philadelphia’s order. He left some pitches too far toward the heart of the plate, but he managed to work through it.
In the top of the eighth inning, Tim Hill worked a one-two-three inning against the top of Philadelphia’s order, which included another excellent play by Cody Bellinger as he ran out a hard-hit sinker by Kyle Schwarber. In the top of the ninth inning, Devin Williams finished things off with a perfect frame, and the Yankees won 4-3. “That’s what you want [the bullpen] to look like right there,” said Aaron Boone.
If the Yankees can find a way to deepen their bullpen enough to be as reliable as it was on Sunday, they will be a much better team. With the right moves, this team can be one of the American League’s best once Aaron Judge returns.
Tonight, at 7:05 PM, the Yankees will begin a four-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays (YES). RHP Cam Schlittler (1-0, 4.35 ERA) takes the mound against RHP Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.93 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
CF Trent Grisham (L)
LF Jasson Domínguez (S)
RF Cody Bellinger (L)
DH Giancarlo Stanton (R)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
C Austin Wells (L)
SS Anthony Volpe (R)
SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (1-0, 4.35 ERA)
Schedule
7:05 PM: NYY vs. TB; YES; SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (1-0, 4.35 ERA)
