Daily Report – 5/22/26
Yankees
Last night in the Bronx, Toronto’s bullpen shut out the Yankees. Led by Spencer Miles, the Blue Jays ruined Carlos Rodón’s strong start as they blanked the Yankees 2-0. New York mustered just three hits on a night where Aaron Judge struck out for the seventh straight time, and his teammates failed to back him up.
It wasn’t easy for the Yankees to beat Toronto on Monday or Tuesday, but they managed to split the four-game set. Overall, though, they left much to be desired. The Yankees have scored in just one of their last 18 innings as their bats continue to scuffle. They have fallen to 4.5 games and six losses behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, who will visit Yankee Stadium tonight.
“We don’t like splitting that series, but we’ll take care of business in the next one,” Judge said.
Getting shut down by Trey Yesavage on Wednesday was one thing, but the lifelessness the Yankees showed for a second straight night was unacceptable, especially against Toronto’s relief core. The Blue Jays’ bullpen struck big in the final game of last year’s ALDS, too.
“Bullpen games can be challenging offensively, and they matched up well,” said manager Aaron Boone. “But we got shut down tonight.”
The logic behind struggling in a bullpen game is troubling. The Yankees work hard to study starting pitching, but it is difficult to break down a pitcher when you have to face so many. But these are Major League hitters, so there is never an excuse for coming up empty, especially when facing more pitchers, which raises the chances of seeing a mistake.
“We’ve got some work to do,” said Judge, who has one hit in his last five games. In his last seven, he is 4-for-27 (.148) with as many strikeouts — 11 — as Austin Wells. Judge hasn’t homered since May 10, and he only has seven extra-base hits this month. Also, he has endured a career-high 10 games without an RBI.
Boone pointed out that Judge has a timing issue. However, the captain usually takes a week or two to readjust. He is making slight improvements since ending a streak of seven straight strikeouts yesterday, but he hasn’t done enough to help his team.
Meanwhile, the Yankees wasted Rodón’s first strong start of the year. Across five innings, he permitted one run on three hits and three walks, with seven strikeouts. He allowed a run in the first inning because JC Escarra barely threatened Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the bases. Guerrero walked, stole second base, and scored on Daulton Varsho’s double.
“They’ve got grit in their lineup,” Rodón said of the Blue Jays. “It’s something we expect now. They’re going to force us to play defense, and we’ve got to be ready to make the plays. As pitchers, we just try to fill up the zone and rely on our defense.”
Besides that first inning, the Blue Jays were quiet at the plate. For the first time this season, Rodón gave his team a chance to win. Behind him, Yovanny Cruz, Brent Headrick, Camilo Doval, and Paul Blackburn permitted just one run. Doval hung a slider over the heart of the plate to George Springer, but otherwise, the bullpen was strong.
“I thought [Rodón] was strong,” Boone said. “The secondary [stuff] was good, but the fastball was terrific. That’s not an easy team to get swing-and-miss [against], but the fastball really played. Definitely, it was the best of the three [starts].”
As Boone pointed out, Rodón’s fastball played well. He used it to generate nine of his 18 whiffs and three strikeouts. He earned three more strikeouts with his slider, but none of it mattered because the Yankees couldn’t plate a single run. They went a whopping 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, never moving a runner past second base. They only had multiple base runners in the sixth inning.
The Yankees also struck out 14 times, including six times in 4 1/3 frames against Miles. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the worst performer, striking out in each of his four at-bats. His worst strikeout came in the sixth inning, with runners at first and second base with one out.
Tonight, as the Yankees prepare for a critical series against Tampa Bay, Judge is confident that his team can turn things around offensively. Tonight, they will face the tough Nick Martinez, who holds a 1.51 ERA in nine starts. The Yankees need to get back at the Rays, who swept them at the Trop in April with excellent small ball.
“Anytime you’ve got a hot team coming in, it’s going to make it tough,” Judge said. “Especially a team like that, where they took care of business in Tampa when we just saw them. We’ve just got to tighten up a couple of things here with us, and we’ll be right where we need to be.”
For the first time in 569 days, Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Yankees as they seek a massive win. To make room for Cole, the Yankees optioned Yovanny Cruz to Triple-A.
“It’s been a long road, and I feel like he’s crushed the rehab process,” Boone said. “I feel like the ramp-up has been really good. We’ve been diligent, haven’t skipped things, and haven’t rushed things. As a result, I think he’s in a position to come here and perform at a high level.
“That being said, it’s been a long time, so I’m sure there’ll be some things he’s got to iron out at this level, too. But we’re excited to get a player of the caliber of Gerrit back in the mix.”
The Yankees also sent Spencer Jones down in exchange for José Caballero, opting to keep Anthony Volpe on the roster to compete with Caballero. Both players want to be the team’s starting shortstop, and a little competition never hurt anybody.
Tonight, at 7:05 PM, the Yankees will begin a critical three-game series against Tampa Bay (YES, Gotham Sports). RHP Gerrit Cole will return to the mound for the first time since the 2024 World Series. The Yankees will face the righty Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51 ERA).
Tomorrow, at 1:35 PM, the Yankees have yet to announce their starter (YES, Gotham Sports). RHP Drew Rasmussen (4-1, 3.19 ERA) will start for Tampa Bay.
On Sunday, at 1:35 PM, the Yankees still need to announce who will toe the slab against the lefty Shane McClanahan (5-2, 2.82 ERA) (YES, Gotham Sports).
Schedule
Tonight 5/22:
7:05 PM: NYY vs. TB; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Gerrit Cole (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51 ERA)
Saturday 5/23:
1:35 PM: NYY vs. TB; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: TBA vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen (4-1, 3.19 ERA)
8:00 PM: 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3 – NYK (2-0) at CLE (0-2); ABC, ESPN App
Sunday 5/24:
12:30 PM: 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500; FOX, FOX One
1:35 PM: NYY vs. TB; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: TBA vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (5-2, 2.82 ERA)
