If the Yankees Won’t Bench Headley, What Will They Do?

The Yankees’ 7-0 rout of the Orioles Wednesday night proved what the front office has been telling us all along: This roster is very much capable of matching, or even improving upon, its performance last season, when it scored the second most runs in the American League.

But the preceding 24 games proved something else: This roster, however filled with talent, is prone to some serious slumping, and if the Yankees are going to experience sustained success, adjustments are going to be necessary along the way.

Yet thus far, the Yankees’ front office––led by Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman––has given no indication it is willing to make even the most simple adjustments, which could indicate severe danger for the club looking forward. There is no better illustration of this phenomenon than the ongoing struggles of Chase Headley.

Headley has had an abominable start to the season. Prior to Wednesday night’s game in Baltimore, Headley had just ten singles in 68 at-bats, for an average of .147. His WAR has fallen all the way down to -0.6.

But plenty of players have had difficult stretches. What sets Headley apart, however––and what is truly troubling––is how long Girardi and Cashman have allowed this level of play to continue, and how unwilling they have been to acknowledge, and mitigate the damage of, a really bad bet they made two years ago. Consider these eye-opening statistics:

• Headley is yet to have an extra base hit this season in 79 PA, by far the most in the majors. The player with the second most PAs without an XBH is the Angels’ Rafael Ortega (with 51), who nonetheless has a batting average over twice as high as Headley’s.
• Since September 6, 2015, Headley is 28-for-170 (.165) with 45 Ks and only six RBIs.
• Headley’s Wins Probability Added is -1.33 so far this season, meaning his overall offensive performance has decreased the Yankees’ probability of winning games a collective 133%.
• Headley is the only player in major league baseball with a WAR below -0.5 and a salary above $10 million.

Considering the Yankees have Ronald Torreyes––a 23 year-old rookie who has 11 hits in 30 major league at-bats––on their roster, there is no justification for starting Headley, who has consistently been one of the worst players in the majors for over a year, but nonetheless has played just as often as anybody else. This year, Headley has been in the starting lineup for 23 of the Yankees’ 25 games.

We do not know what master plans the Yankees have up their sleeves, if any. But we do know that if the front office was at all willing to make changes to improve the team’s chances of winning, replacing Headley with Torreyes at least some of the time would be one of the easiest, quickest remedies with virtually no collateral damage.

But the Yankees haven’t done it, which casts doubt on the team’s willingness, or ability, to make other changes that might be necessary down the road. If Luis Severino or Michael Pineda cannot improve, will the Yankees be willing to call up Chad Green, who is pitching to a 1.45 ERA in six starts in AAA? If it becomes apparent that the Yankees need an effective bat to allow Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez to rest, will the team be willing to call up Nick Swisher or Rob Refsnyder, both of whom are tearing it up in AAA?

Next: Yankees Down Orioles 7-0 Behind Strong Outing from CC

If the experience with Headley is any guide, the answer appears to be no. That places the 2016 Yankees on a very dangerous path.