5 things to watch in second half of 2023 Yankees season

Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Yankees sit one game out of a playoff spot, have a new hitting coach, thorny questions about their best player’s health, and a key trade deadline looming.

That’s a lot.

Good thing we’ve got five things to watch to prep you for the start of the pinstriped second half, a crucial 71-game stretch for a team that’s 49-42 and not exactly what anyone in the Bronx had in mind.

Let’s take a look:

Casey helps the bats? 

Sean Casey, the affable new hitting coach, has never coached in the majors or minors, but he was a very good big-league hitter during a 12-year playing career that ended in 2008. He had a .302 career average and an .814 OPS and was Aaron Boone’s teammate with the Cincinnati Reds. But Casey has a tough gig now. Aaron Judge is still out and he’s the fulcrum of the offense. Multiple big-name players the Yankees were counting on for offense have sputtered and aren’t offering much hope for rebound, either. Fill-ins who have had their moments – kudos to them and the club for unearthing them – are also showing why they’re fill-ins. Since Judge went out with a toe injury, the Yankees have scored the second-fewest runs in MLB, ahead of only the 26-65 Kansas City Royals. Their average is the worst over that span and their on-base percentage is second-worst. Welcome to the Bronx, Sean.

Offense rise

Of course, it would be a big boost to the new hitting coach if Judge returns at some point soon. But Judge got hurt in early June and there’s still no timetable. You don’t have to rise above the rank of amateur podiatrist to know that’s not ideal for the Yankees. They are averaging nearly a run fewer per game and they are 14-17 since Judge was injured making a sensational catch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yeah, his defense is outstanding, too, along with the bat that has produced 19 homers and a 1.078 OPS in 49 games. For the Yankees to go anywhere real, he has to come back and soon.

Rodón in bloom

It was a very big deal that lefty Carlos Rodón, the Yanks’ big winter purchase, made his debut before the break, especially with some wobbles elsewhere in the rotation. They’re going to need to pitch very, very well if they’re going to remain in the race with this offense. Enter Rodón, who threw 5.1 innings and allowed two runs and four hits against the Chicago Cubs in his first start. It wasn’t all pitching poetry – there was some hard contact and he did not get the strikeouts he usually does – but Rodón and Gerrit Cole represent the best chance the Yankees have of putting wins together in the second half and, Yankee fans hope, the playoffs.

Left out again?

The great failing of the Yankees’ winter is that they did not supplement the offense. They should have added a bat on the free-agent market, likely for left field, when it would’ve cost only money. Now they must find one that will cost talent and with so many teams in contention for all these playoff spots, the market might be limited. Here are a few names that might be available, depending on how the next few weeks go, and maybe one of them could help the Yankees: Cody Bellinger (Cubs), Tyler O’Neill (St. Louis Cardinals) and Teoscar Hernández (Seattle Mariners). Bellinger is far removed from his 2019 NL MVP days, but he smashed a long homer to right field field at Yankee Stadium – short porch not necessary – off Rodón last week, a glimpse of what’s still in there. He’s got an .846 OPS with the Cubs while O’Neill has a 34-homer season (2021) and two Gold Gloves on his resume and could return soon from a back injury. The Mariners are only four games out of a playoff spot, so perhaps they won’t deal Hernández, who has 15 homers, a .745 OPS and leads the AL in strikeouts.

The kid might be alright

The Yankees trusted Anthony Volpe to be their shortstop and then ushered him in with not a little fanfare. Will they now call up Oswald Peraza, another of their touted infield prospects, and see if he can take over third base? They could use a youthful jolt. Josh Donaldson is a quality defender and has hit 10 home runs in 31 games. But he has only five other hits all season and too often is an out waiting to happen. His .152 batting average is fifth-worst in MLB among players with at least 100 plate appearances. Peraza looked the part when he had a call-up last season and even started a playoff game at shortstop. He batted only .188 in 12 games in the majors earlier this year, but he should get a real opportunity, not just a fill-in role. In Triple-A, he’s got 12 homers and an .860 OPS.