Daily Report – 7/10/26
Yankees
Sweet relief!
For the first time in 21 games, the Yankees eclipsed the five-run mark as they routed the Tampa Bay Rays 12-4. It was a much-needed laugher, and although the Yankees only split their four-game series with the Rays, they finally mustered the confidence they’ve been lacking for weeks.
Coming off a shutout loss on Wednesday, it didn’t feel like the Yankees stood much of a chance against the division leaders, especially with Drew Rasmussen pitching. In 50 2/3 innings against the Yankees, the right-handed All-Star had held them to five runs.
But the Yankees, pitching a bullpen game, rallied for six runs against Rasmussen in the third inning, forcing the Rays into a bullpen game, too. Yesterday’s sixth inning was the Yankees’ highest-scoring frame since June 16, and Max Schuemann got it started.
Designated for assignment by the Athletics in February, Schuemann has been a sparkplug off the Yankees’ bench. He has played in left field 10 times, in center field five times, and in right field nine times. He has also played three games at shortstop, one at second base, and one at third. His versatility has kept his bat in the Yankees’ lineup, but so have his results.
Despite the Yankees’ struggles offensively, Schuemann is 5-for-16 (.313) with six runs scored in his last seven games. After he doubled to lead off the sixth inning, Ryan McMahon executed a tone-setting 12-pitch at-bat. He eventually exhausted Rasmussen and drilled a cutter down the right-field line for a double.
“Right before I walked up to the plate, [McMahon is] like, ‘Hey, let's go double-double here,’” Schuemann joked. “It’s funny how it works, you know? But he grinded, and it was a really fun at-bat to watch.”
After McMahon’s hit, Austin Wells flied out to right field to advance him, and Trent Grisham singled to put the Yankees ahead. Then, Ben Rice lifted a cutter just high enough over the right-field fence. The home run was his 27th of the season, and it broke the game open for the Yankees.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Rice said of Ramssen. “He’s definitely had our number in past outings, so we just had a good team approach today. It all started with McMahon working that really long at-bat, getting a double to knock [Schuemann] in, and from there, I feel like it was just contagious.”
Rice homered again in the sixth inning, a three-run shot that soared 422 feet to center field. Rice ranks second in the American League with 28 home runs, but this was his first multi-homer game of the year. He finished the four-game set 7-for-16 with four home runs, 9 RBI, and five runs scored.
“Just sticking with it, overall,” Rice said of his approach. “Like I’ve said in the past, it’s such a long year. You’re bound to go through the ups and downs, so just lean on the guys in the clubhouse, in the locker room, and go out here. Just have an approach, stick to it, be convicted in it, and hopefully good things will happen.”
After Rice’s third-inning blast, Jasson Domínguez and Cody Bellinger ran out consecutive infield singles, and José Caballero plated Domínguez with a sharp ground ball through a hole between first and second base. Caballero’s hit gave the Yankees a 6-1 lead, and it forced Rasmussen out of the game.
“I feel like we’ve had really good energy all week,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Obviously struggling to get things going, but I feel like that intensity’s been there. I feel like they struck a really good balance today between being dialed in, energy, having fun, but playing like there’s a lot on the line.
“At that point, you’re fired up that some guys who have been scuffling are putting together really good at-bats. But then you’re always trying to be greedy and keep pushing because we’ve got to piece this thing together bullpen-wise today. So, the wheels are spinning there too.”
After Cam Booser replaced Rasmussen, Jazz Chisholm Jr. drove in the Yankees’ sixth run with a sacrifice fly. Although Chisholm was the only Yankee who didn’t record a hit yesterday, Schuemann revealed that he spoke up before the game and encouraged his teammates. Chisholm reminded them that they were better than their recent slump suggested, and primed to break out of it.
“Jazz spoke up, and he’s never too vocal,” Schuemann said. “But it was good to hear him speak and say what he was thinking at the moment. I feel like it really brought the guys together, and I think it needed to be said, so I’m glad he stepped up.”
Tampa Bay added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the Yankees’ lead to three runs. But in the top of the fourth inning, Austin Wells muscled his first home run since May 22. The struggling catcher, whose .151 batting average is the worst in baseball, carried his confidence into the sixth inning, which he led off with his first walk since May 31.
“He works really hard,” Schuemann said of Wells. “My favorite at-bat actually wasn’t his home run; it was his walk. He took really good swings in that at-bat, and ultimately grinded to a walk. I have a soft spot for that kind of an at-bat, so that fired me up.”
Wells was the first batter to cross home plate in the sixth inning, when Rice mashed a three-run shot for his second homer of the game. In the seventh inning, Ryan McMahon hit his second double of the game, putting the Yankees ahead 11-4. Their final run came in the eighth inning, when Cody Bellinger singled through the middle of the infield to score Rice.
The Yankees hope to carry their newfound confidence into their final series before the All-Star break, a three-game set in our nation’s capital. “It definitely boosts our morale heading into the next series,” Rice said. “We’ve just got to keep that momentum going, keep that energy going, and hopefully we can continue what we need to do.”
Before yesterday’s game, Brian Cashman met the media. He couldn’t explain why his team had been struggling so mightily for the last few weeks, but he acknowledged the issue and outlined plans for the future. He also made a few other important points, including:
An update on Aaron Judge, who will receive a new round of imaging during the All-Star break. The Yankees don’t expect the imaging to come back clean, but barring any additional setbacks, they plan to ramp up Judge’s workload as long as his scans show enough improvement. Mid-August is the earliest he could return, but that depends on what the imaging shows next week.
“We’re anticipating and are hopeful that it’s showing the healing process,” Cashman said. “The time frame, regardless of what the findings are going to show, is going to be coming from our medical team. […] He should be asymptomatic before we turn him loose. If he’s asymptomatic, not feeling anything, and showing healing, it’s probably appropriate to get him going again.”
An update on Giancarlo Stanton, who suffered a new right calf strain during his recovery from a previous strain, which is why it’s taking so long for him to return. Now, the Yankees have to be even more careful with their 6-foot-5, 245-pound designated hitter. The timeline for Stanton’s return remains unknown.
Some additional injury updates, including George Lombard Jr., who will go on a Minor League rehab assignment in two weeks; Carlos Lagrange, who could miss the rest of the season, and, most importantly, Carlos Rodón, who played catch on flat ground yesterday.
Tonight, at 6:45 PM, the Yankees will begin a three-game series in Washington, DC, against the Nationals (YES, Gotham Sports). Washington leads the league in both runs scored and ranks third in runs allowed. They are two games above .500 with a +13 run differential, while the Yankees sit four games out of first place.
LHP Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.29 ERA) is 1-5 with a 6.17 ERA in his last seven starts. He will start tonight against lefty Carson Palmquist (0-1, 7.11 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
3B Amed Rosario (R)
DH Ben Rice (L)
CF Trent Grisham (L)
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
RF Jasson Domínguez (S)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
SS José Caballero (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.29 ERA)
Tomorrow, at 4:05 PM, RHP Cam Schlittler (9-5, 2.01 ERA) will toe the slab against the veteran righty Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.78 ERA) (YES, Gotham Sports).
And on Sunday, at 1:35 PM, RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.15 ERA) will mind the rubber for the Yankees (YES, Gotham Sports). The Nationals have yet to announce their starter for Sunday.
Schedule
Tonight 7/10:
6:45 PM: NYY at WSH; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.29 ERA) vs. LHP Carson Palmquist (0-1, 7.11 ERA)
Saturday 7/11:
11:00 AM: The Championships, Wimbledon 2026 – Ladies’ Singles Championship; K. Muchova [10] vs. L. Noskova [9]; ESPN
10:00 AM: Breakfast at Wimbledon; ESPN
4:05 PM: NYY at WSH; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (9-5, 2.01 ERA) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.78 ERA)
Sunday 7/12:
11:00 AM: The Championships, Wimbledon 2026 – Gentlemen’s Singles Championship; J. Sinner [1] vs. A. Zverev [2]; ESPN
10:00 AM: Breakfast at Wimbledon; ESPN
1:35 PM: NYY at WSH; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.15 ERA) vs. TBA
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
