“We needed to inject a presence in our order, and we think we’ve done that in a big way,” Manager Aaron Boone was confident after the New York Yankees acquired Luis Garcia Jr. Then, GM Brian Cashman brought in more lineup reinforcement with Heliot Ramos. Based on their performances in the first half, Ramos and Garcia should have bolstered the offense. But Boone’s confidence after acquiring Garcia lasted only for a little more than two weeks.
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“Part of the thought process in trading for García and Ramos was to tide the Yankees over, and so far that hasn’t happened,” observed Tim Kelly of the Bleacher Report.
The Yankees’ offensive production took a major hit when Aaron Judge joined Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list. Judge landed on the IL after imaging revealed a stress fracture in his first right rib. Without the captain, the Yankees’ hitting took a nosedive.
They are collectively hitting .229, the second-worst in the league. Only the Cincinnati Reds have a worse batting average (.227) than the Bronx team.
Moreover, the Yankees’ lineup woes only worsened with Cody Bellinger’s injury setback.
As he was hitting better after his early-season struggles (.309 BA in the last 15 games), Bellinger suffered a left hamstring strain. It depleted the Yankees’ lineup of veteran leadership even more. The Yankees needed an impact bat and outfield help.
So, Brian Cashman acquired Heliot Ramos and Luis Garcia Jr to see them through the stretch run. However, the Yankees are yet to reap the benefits of the trades.
In 74 games, Heliot Ramos was hitting .264 with 9 homers and 34 RBI for the San Francisco Giants this season. The Yankees acquired him in exchange for prospects LHP Henry Lalane and shortstop Kaeden Kent. But the scenario has changed in the Bronx.
In 11 games, Ramos is slashing just .083/.214/.167 and has neither driven in nor scored a run in his 42 plate appearances for the Yankees. However, he has recorded three extra-base hits.
Heliot is under team control through the 2029 season and might eventually develop into a player the Yankees need in the long run. But the franchise acquired him for immediate impact, and that factor has been entirely missing.
It’s not only Ramos; Luis Garcia Jr is also facing the same problems.
The Yankees traded four pitchers, including Jake Bird, to the Washington Nationals to acquire Garcia. He was hitting .283, launching 23 home runs, and driving in 76 RBI. Garcia’s firepower pushed the Yankees to bring him to the Bronx. However, Garcia’s fiery hitting has fizzled since joining the pinstripes.
He is slashing .238/.283/.381 with a homer and 3 RBIs in 11 games. He went 2-for-11 against the Blue Jays during their last game.
As Ramos and Garcia struggled to make an immediate impact on the product, BR’s Tim Kelly has given a reality check:
“Let’s face it, the Yankees aren’t going to go far if some combination of Aaron Judge (stress fracture in right ribcage), Cody Bellinger (left hamstring strain), and Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain) aren’t healthy and productive when October rolls around.”
But this is not the first time the Yankees’ Deadline moves have failed.
Back in 2022, they made several high-profile signings to fortify their roster for a World Series run, but multiple acquisitions backfired or severely underperformed. For example, Frankie Montas was acquired from the Athletics to boost their starting rotation. But he struggled immensely in pinstripes due to shoulder inflammation and poor performance, posting a 6.35 ERA in 8 regular-season starts for New York and rendering himself a non-factor in the postseason.
Andrew Benintendi was brought in from the Kansas City Royals to provide a steady left-handed bat and outfield depth. He played only 33 games before suffering a season-ending wrist bone fracture (hamate bone) in early September, leaving him unavailable for the stretch run and playoffs.
But now, amid the Yankees’ hopes for Aaron Judge’s return, the captain has made new progress.
Aaron Judge plays catch
Aaron Judge injured his first right rib while making a diving play in late April. After a month of powering through pain and playing, he finally landed on the IL. The last time he played for the pinstripes was on May 31.
Since this is the second time Judge has injured his rib in his career, the recovery period has been longer than usual. So, every step forward is a major success.
Manager Aaron Boone said on Friday that Judge played catch for the first time in his rehab.
“I know he threw and ran yesterday,” Boone told the reporters at Rogers Centre, per MLB.com. “Hopefully, [he’ll] continue to progress through this week, and we’ll see what else gets introduced.”
Judge began light baseball activities earlier this month, once his scans showed healing. Now, the Yankees can only hope to have him back before the postseason, and so does the captain himself.