The All-Star break is still a fortnight away, but the Yankees have already made it to the midway point of their 2025 season. The home series opener against the Oakland Athletics will mark their game 81 of 162. It’s fair to say half of the Yanks’ season was marred by a series of tiny miscues that cost them crucial games. No wonder manager Aaron Boone is not overly amused.

Take the Red Sox series, for example, the way Jasson Dominguez was picked off after a baserunning miscue wasn’t great. In the same game, during the eighth inning, Anthony Volpe’s throwing error contributed to the team’s loss as well. It’s hard to forget that the Yankees were swept away by the Red Sox.

They’re doing no good offensively either. Across the last 12 games, the team is batting just .167 with runners in scoring position. And it’s not going unnoticed by Boone. Right before the Yankees notched a 3-0 win against the Athletics, the skipper, while speaking with SNY, delivered a harsh message for the team given their growing concerns.

When asked about the Yankees’ season so far, he said, “Incomplete, we’ve a long way to go.” That was blunt. He didn’t criticize the team, but it was an honest reflection on the current state.

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Further, he added, “We’ve done some really good things in the first half; we’ve hit our bumps in the road too along the way. We’ve a really good club, you know, tremendous capabilities.” True. After all, the Yankees are still leading their division. The Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays are right behind them.

But if it weren’t for their starting pitchers, they wouldn’t be surpassing these two teams.

For Boone, it all comes down to, “We’ve got to realize that potential. We have a chance to be a really good club.” Certainly. Despite back-to-back injuries to their key arms, the Yankees’ season ERA—3.43—happens to be the sixth best in the entire league. However, overall, they’ve been struggling to hold their grip on the rankings.

Yankees Losing Ground in Tight Division Fight

ESPN has just dropped the latest MLB power rankings. And guess what? The Yankees are now at no. 6. Well, this drop is just a reflection of their past few weeks.

The offensive side has been the main issue. It’s solely Aaron Judge who has been holding the team together. He ended May with a stellar 1.268 OPS and 21 home runs. Even in June, Judge is still at the top with a slash line of .265/.382/.566. However, the Yankees haven’t been nearly as consistent as their captain.

Across 14 games, the team has scored 3 runs or fewer in 9 games. That’s why wins have been hard to come by.

On a side note, even their cross-town rivals are doing no good. The New York Mets have slid from No. 3 to No. 7. The team has lost 10 of its last 12 games. Meanwhile, other MLB teams, let’s say the Detroit Tigers, have also slid from their spot. But the Houston Astros have gone up to no. 5 from no. 8; after all, they’ve stacked 11 wins in their last 14 games.

The Phillies, who were struggling most of the season, have also gone up to no. 3 from no. 6. Coming to the Yankees again, the fans have not stopped believing in them. They still have a 70.2% chance of notching the division win. Moreover, there is a 95.5% chance of landing in the playoffs. However, they don’t have room for making any more miscues if they want to stay atop the rankings.