by The Yankees have spent most of June receiving one bad injury update after another. Somehow, the standings keep showing them in first place.
Aaron Judge is out with a stress fracture in his first rib. Giancarlo Stanton suffered a setback while running the bases. Trent Grisham strained his right hamstring. Austin Wells is dealing with cervical headaches. Max Fried remains sidelined with a left elbow bone bruise.
That is not a normal injury report.
That is a large portion of the Yankees’ lineup, rotation and payroll watching games instead of playing in them.
Yet New York returned home from Toronto with a 43-27 record, a one-game lead in the American League East and a plus-107 run differential.
The Yankees are not simply hanging around until everybody gets healthy. They are continuing to win.
Judge Cannot Be Replaced by One Player
Before landing on the injured list, Judge was hitting .248 with a .375 on-base percentage, a .533 slugging percentage, 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 59 games.
Those numbers may not look like the video-game statistics Judge has produced in other seasons, but removing his presence from the lineup changes everything for opposing pitchers.
The Yankees cannot ask one player to replace him.
Instead, they are dividing the responsibility.
Ben Rice has emerged as a legitimate star, hitting .293 with 19 home runs and a .998 OPS. Cody Bellinger continues to provide protection in the middle of the order. Paul Goldschmidt has heated up at the perfect time, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. remains a power-and-speed threat.
Jasson Domínguez returned from the injured list and homered in his first game back. Spencer Jones has supplied power and athleticism. José Caballero continues to move around the diamond and contribute wherever Aaron Boone puts him.
That is how a team survives without Judge. Not with one magical replacement, but with seven or eight players refusing to let the offense collapse.
Stanton’s Setback Complicates the Plan
Stanton appeared close to returning during the upcoming homestand before feeling discomfort while running the bases on June 11.
Now that return is in doubt.
The Yankees were hoping Stanton could provide a dangerous right-handed power bat while Judge recovered. Instead, the team must once again wait for additional imaging and hope this does not become another extended absence.
There is no point rushing Stanton back for three games in June if it results in losing him for another month. His injury history demands caution, whether fans enjoy hearing that or not.
The same approach applies to Judge. The Yankees plan to give him four to six weeks of rest before another evaluation. That evaluation is expected between July 3 and July 17, but it does not mean Judge will immediately return once that window arrives.
The fracture must show enough healing before he can resume baseball activities, build up his swing and prepare for Major League pitching.
An August return currently appears more realistic than assuming he will walk back into the lineup in early July.
The Pitching Staff Has Kept Everything Together
The Yankees own a 3.32 team ERA, and opposing hitters are batting just .224 against their pitching staff.
Cam Schlittler has developed into one of the best starters in baseball. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón provide veteran power arms. Will Warren continues to give the Yankees opportunities to win, even when he does not have his best command.
The bullpen has also protected close leads, with David Bednar handling the ninth inning and Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval and others covering important situations.
That pitching has given the offense room to operate without needing to score eight runs every night.
Cashman Still Has Work to Do
The Yankees’ depth deserves credit, but Brian Cashman should not use the recent winning streak as an excuse to ignore obvious needs.
Judge is not close to returning. Stanton’s timetable is uncertain. Grisham still needs imaging. The catching position has supplied almost nothing offensively, and several relievers have been worked heavily.
The trade deadline remains an opportunity to protect the roster instead of gambling that every injured player will return on schedule and remain healthy.
For now, the Yankees have handled the injuries about as well as possible.
They lost their captain, their designated hitter, their center fielder, their starting catcher and one of their best starting pitchers.
Then they went 5-1 on the road and took a series in a stadium that haunted them last season.
That is what first-place teams are supposed to do.
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