Yankees: 3 underrated aspects of 3-game winning streak

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The Yankees have won three in a row! You know what else is cool?

New York Yankees baseball is BACK! When you hit rock bottom, you can’t go any lower, and the Bombers have embodied that philosophy ever since getting throttled in a 10-run inning by the Toronto Blue Jays and then wasting a good start from JA Happ.

But here we are, three wins later, a bit more comfortable in the playoff picture at 24-21, and the offense/pitching staff is getting in what feels like a coinciding groove we’ve yet to see in 2020. And we’re expected to get Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton back next weekend … big, if true.

While you were busy exerting your positive energy doing fun things, you may have overlooked a few aspects about the Yankees that have kind of flown under the radar. Every fan should be on top of these talking points because they could dictate how the season finishes.

Luke Voit #45 of the New York Yankees celebrates (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

3. Luke Voit is very clearly playing through the Foot Stuff

Yankees slugger Luke Voit has a foot injury but doesn’t care.

Guys, Luke Voit is injured. There is no doubt about it. Luckily for him, though, he doesn’t have to move a whole lot playing first base or DHing. He’s exerting most of his energy jogging around the bases thanks to his MLB-leading 16 home runs.

But even on those light trots, it’s clear he’s dealing with a foot injury, which speaks to his dedication. While we have Judge and Stanton on the shelf with mysterious lower-body injuries/muscle tweaks, Voit is out there hobbling on one foot and crushing homers to the opposite field.

All jokes aside, however, this is something to more seriously monitor. We don’t know what this is. Manager Aaron Boone called it “foot stuff” a little while back, and while we were joking about it, it seems to have gotten worse. Though that hasn’t stopped Voit from producing at an MLB-best rate, there has to be concern about the injury.

The Yankees can’t get Judge and Stanton back and then toss Voit on the shelf. This lineup doesn’t work like that. For this team to make a World Series run in an expanded playoff picture, they need to be at full strength (in terms of what’s actually controllable).

It’s awesome Voit is battling through this like a champ, but Boone needs to give him some time off in garbage innings (which he did tonight) moving forward.

Miguel Andujar #41 and Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

2. Miguel Andujar is slowly getting back on track!

It’s really great to see Yankees slugger Miguel Andujar find his footing.

The Papa! Miguel Andujar was performing terribly in limited/sporadic playing time, but now that he’s been getting regular reps due to the injuries up and down the roster, he’s hopefully working his way back to 2018 form.

Since Sept. 4, Andujar is 9-for-28 with a home run, five RBI and two walks. Of those eight games, seven of them were full slates. However, he’s mostly been used as a DH, so his defensive improvements will have to wait.

Nonetheless, it’s awesome to see him getting more comfortable in the batter’s box, which one could argue is what needs to be fixed first and foremost. Andujar’s defense was never his bread and butter — it was his bat. If he’s not getting the job done offensively, he’s not getting any job done, so perhaps Boone’s strategy of DHing him this much is well founded.

It’s nothing special, but Andujar has upped his batting average to .220, which is an increase from .091 less than two weeks ago. The circumstances surrounding the shortened 2020 campaign were never conducive to Andujar’s comeback from shoulder surgery, so that’s why this mini turnaround should have you feeling good.

Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. Gleyber IS GOOD

Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres is fully back. At least it feels like that.

The concerns surrounding Gleyber Torres at the onset of 2020 were legitimate. His struggles on defense, now that he’s taken over the shortstop position full time, were glaring, and his step back on offense seemed to further crush his confidence.

Then, he suffered hamstring and quad strains while running to first base against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 20 and hit the injured list. Perhaps the rest did the 23-year-old some good.

Torres returned to the Yankees on Sept. 5 and has since gone 7-for-21 with three runs scored, a home run, five RBI and four walks. He dragged the Yankees out of their slump on Wednesday with a four-RBI night against the Jays in the team’s 7-2 victory and elevated his OPS to .736 (it was .631 when he went on the IL).

None of that jumps off the page, but when you realize the Yankees are still far from full strength with Judge, Stanton and Gio Urshela out, that means he’s getting hits and walks without a ton of padding in the lineup. He’s getting deep into counts, being more patient, and staying on top of pitches — all of which were largely absent before his IL stint.

Plus, we’ve got no errors since he’s been back!

Keep rocking the glasses, Gleyb.

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 25: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees bats in the first inning of game two of the MLB doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 26, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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