3 Yankees players on short leashes as struggles continue

So far, so decent for the New York Yankees, who looked a daunting seven-game home set with the Boston Red Sox and AL favorite Toronto Blue Jays dead in the eyes and ended up with a winning record.

That’s a tough early-season slate for many reasons. It’s a measuring stick against top competition before you’re all the way out of bed, for one thing. Perhaps more importantly, though, AL contenders are supposed to perform well in the home games against their top competition, but might scuffle through things in the early going. The Yankees had to bring their A Game from minute one, lest they waste one of very few opportunities to get a jump on their chief competition.

That 4-3 homestand did not come as a reflection of the Yankees clicking on all cylinders, though. Far from it.

In fact, the Bombers won several of those games thanks to their absolutely sterling pitching staff, and in spite of a few black holes and bumps in the road from the rest of the roster.

Early-season knee-jerk overreactions are not to be trusted (yes, especially if the data portends a breakout’s coming…). We know. That being said, due to these players’ recent history in the Bronx, as well as their actual production thus far, it won’t be long before early-season optimism turns to scorn.

Regrettably, none of these three did much of anything in the season’s first two series to quiet down the rumblings.

Patience isn’t necessarily wearing thin, but it’s thinning. This isn’t a warning or a demand. It’s just a statement of fact, and there’s not quite as much leeway for these three parties as they might think.

3 Yankees on short leashes who are struggling in 2022

3. Joey Gallo

All the data in the world says Joey Gallo is about to reenter the upper echelon of major league hitters after a brutal August and Sept. 2021.

Good. He needs it.

Because, for everything that’s clear about Gallo’s player profile (special power, elite exit velocity, affable persona), when the ball’s not carrying, he is a certified impossible watch.

There’s a sect of the fan base he’ll never win over even after carrying the offense for a week at a time. That’s what comes with poor-as-hell optics and a pile of Thurman Munson traditionalists.

That being said … for the rest best-in-class Statcast profilesof us to start sounding a little more confident when defending him, he’s going to need to turn his into production sooner rather than later. The theoretical argument only holds up for so long.

Gallo’s Savant page may be Turning Red, but he’s still missing the whole “being comfortable with yourself” narrative. Through the first two home series, where Gallo played six of seven games, he batted .158 without a home run or RBI, striking out eight times in 19 at-bats. In order to win over the fan base (the reasonables, not the unwinnables), he’ll need to inch that production up towards the projections sooner rather than later.

A 98th-percentile hard-hitter should not be this difficult to defend.

2. Kyle Higashioka

Yankee fans remain in a bind with Certified Spring Training Legend Kyle Higashioka.

Side note, after Deivi Garcia’s early struggles in Triple-A and Higashioka’s fall back to earth after seven spring home runs, what … is even the point … of those games? It’s almost as if they’re useless and should not be watched or judged. Interesting.

Higashioka, though, was widely expected to be a below-average offensive catcher in 2022 after an additional burden was placed on him with the departure of Gary Sánchez. He’d reportedly make up for his deficiencies with exceptional glovework (particularly framing) and would still have enough power bursts to make his offensive lulls palatable, finishing with 15-20 home runs maximum (likely more like 10-15).

Then he opened the season with one single hit during the homestand. Pair that with a couple of RBI singles and some much-needed energy from the also-defensively-excellent Jose Trevino in the series finale against the Blue Jays, and fans’ patience with Higashioka is wearing a bit thin.

Again, the Yankees dug this whole for themselves when Sánchez was dealt to Minnesota. They entered this season baking in an offensive downgrade behind the plate in the name of rededicating themselves to other causes.

But, as John Flaherty said on Thursday night’s pregame show, fans and the franchise can accept “offensive downgrades” at the bottom of the lineup. They cannot accept offensive black holes. Higashioka has to prove, and quickly, that after being handed a larger role, he won’t be coming up permanently empty.