The Yankees are in a rut. They have lost seven of their last 10 games, including six of their last seven. They've blown leads -- just like their loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night -- and can't score runs on other nights.

Somehow, they are still holding on to a Wild Card spot at the moment, with an overall 21-20 record.

But for GM Brian Cashman, the team's recent losing skid needed some addressing between himself and the players.

Cashman spoke to his team before they took on the Blue Jays yet again on Tuesday night, delivering a message that manager Aaron Boone said was "hopefully one that continues to make us unified and understanding that better days are ahead for us."

It isn't just the injuries that are hurting the Yankees, but also players not being able to step up like they did last season when players continued rotating on the IL. The bullpen, specifically the normally-rock-solid back-end options, have been shaky. Many starters like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks, and Brett Gardner aren't performing like their normal selves. And the starting rotation hasn't been reliable even when ace Gerrit Cole takes the mound.

But the Yankees are still a really good team. They just need to start playing like it again. And by that, we mean in sync, coming up with the clutch at-bats and pitching with consistency like they were to kick off this shortened campaign.

With just a few weeks left of the season and the walls starting to close in a bit, Cashman believes now was the right time to step in and remind the Yankees that urgency is needed and they have the team to climb out of this hole.

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