Through the first two months of the 2025 MLB season, the New York Yankees had the best offense in the American League. Aaron Judge’s historic start, combined with resurgences from Paul Goldschmidt and Trent Grisham, gave the team a 128 wRC+ through May, easily the highest figure in the AL.
Since the calendar flipped to June, however, the vaunted Yankees offense has been worse than the Miami Marlins. New York’s June swoon reached its lowest point Tuesday, as the team suffered its third straight shutout. Following Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Yankees have lost five straight contests.
The team hasn’t scored a run since Saturday, giving them 29 consecutive scoreless innings.
Despite the losing streak, the team still sits in first place in the American League East. The team’s lead has shrunk, however, as the surging Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays have both turned things around after slow starts to the season.
It’s tough to blame Judge for the team’s issues in June. While he hasn’t kept up his Bondsian pace from April and May, and has seen his strikeout rate jump to 41.3 percent in June, Judge is still hitting .264/.381/.585 in the month. For most players, that slash line would be good enough to garner MVP consideration. Following Judge’s blistering start, it’s considered a slump for the star outfielder.
A much bigger portion of the blame should fall on Goldschmidt and Grisham, each of who have collapsed following their hot starts. Grisham is hitting .200 in 12 June games. Goldschmidt is hitting .170 in 15 games in the month.
For all the hype the torpedo bats caused in April, Anthony Volpe and Cody Bellinger have both seen their offensive numbers drop after banging home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers in the opening series. Both players have posted below-average wRC+ figures in June.
Youngster Jasson Dominguez continues to look overmatched at the plate, and Ben Rice’s production hasn’t matched his batted-ball metrics just yet.
That all paints a bleak picture, though there are reasons for hope. Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Rice should all perform better moving forward. Getting Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton back from injuries should help as well. In addition to that, the team’s pitching staff has performed well. Both its rotation and bullpen are ranked in the top half of the league in ERA, with the rotation ranking in the top-10.
Even amid the team’s losing streak, the Yankees still sit at 42-30 entering play Wednesday. The team’s .583 winning percentage is second in the American League, trailing only the Detroit Tigers.
It’s easy to overreact to small samples in baseball, especially when the Yankees are involved. While the team should pull out of its current offensive tailspin, there are still some reasons to be concerned. If Judge merely hitting at MVP level — as opposed to greatest hitter of all-time level — is a problem, then the Yankees need to surround him with better talent at the trade deadline.
Judge is arguably the best hitter in the game, but he can’t do it alone. The team’s June struggles are a reminder that relying on one player to carry an entire offense has massive drawbacks. New York would be wise to rectify that if it wants to make another World Series run.
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