For much of this season, the Yankees have looked like an offensive juggernaut. However, the past three games have told a very different story. Zero runs and a complete offensive shutdown. The silence at the plate has been deafening for a team built to slug and score.

As they faced a historic low, reports suggested that the team’s veterans recently called a players-only meeting in a bid to spark urgency within the group. But did such a meeting take place? Manager Aaron Boone has finally addressed the speculation and shed light on what’s going on behind the scenes.

“Aaron Boone and multiple players all disputed the report that there was a players-only meeting last night,” Yankees insider Chris Kirschner reported.

But hey, don’t you think the Yankees should have had one such meeting? Because right now, they’ve lost five in a row and suddenly, their lead in the AL East is looking shaky. They are now just 2.5 games up on the Rays and only three ahead of the Blue Jays!

According to the reports, the Yankees’ four former MVPs, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger, huddled together behind the scenes at the Yankee Stadium, venting their frustrations as the team slogged through a five-game losing streak. A few of the younger faces joined them too, including Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells, and Ben Rice.

But as it turned out, those were all rumors and Boone put them to rest.

Despite a 5-game losing streak, the Yankees are still leading in the AL East with a 42-30 record, and a +98 run differential, which shows just how dominant they’ve been for stretches this season. And, there’s every reason to believe they’ll snap out of this slump with a star-studded lineup featuring Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Paul Goldschmidt.

But to retain their spot top spot, they need to get back on track fast.

Aaron Judge’s struggle makes things further difficult for the Yankees

Well, the Yankees have dropped five straight games, managing just 11 runs since June 11. Now, what can be more alarming than that? But while they are facing offensive woes as a unit, Aaron Judge’s recent slump has further amplified the problem.

The Yanks have gone 29 straight innings without scoring a single run. For the first time since 2016, they have been shut out in three consecutive games. Judge, who’s been putting together a potentially historic season, has gone cold as well. Over his last 27 plate appearances, he has managed just three hits, while striking out 15 times. Now, that’s not the typical Judge who has been spitting fire.

Across all the Yankees losses this season, Judge has slashed a solid .331/.403/.635 in 132 plate appearances, scoring 11 home runs and five doubles. But it’s in the Yankees’ victories that his dominance has been second to none. He has hit .404 in victories, crushing 15 homers and 12 doubles.

This shows just how vital Judge’s production is for the Yankees’ success. With the entire lineup struggling, his slump is further complicating the scene. Maybe a players-only meeting would have helped. But let’s see if they can make a comeback without that. What do you think?