4 Yankees who are playing their way out of the team's 2026 plans

The sky is falling in the Bronx, but the forecast is promising. Aaron Judge is back after a minimum stay on the IL, and the uber-talented lineup is capable of outscoring any team. Brian Cashman made some tough decisions to cut veterans like DJ LeMahieu and Marcus Stroman and refreshed the bullpen at the trade deadline. Although the new acquisitions are off to an inauspicious start, they are a clear upgrade on paper.

As we enter the final stretch of the season, the 2026 roster is taking shape, and several Yankees might be finding themselves on new teams next year. 

4 Yankees players who are playing their way out of 2026 roster plans

Devin Williams

When the Yankees traded for Devin Williams in the offseason, nobody imagined it would turn out like this. 

Williams allowed five runs in his first four games as a Yankee, then settled in with four scoreless appearances. But it was a mirage, because he coughed up seven runs in his next two games, and Aaron Boone demoted him to setup man on April 27. 

Luke Weaver, who replaced Williams, converted six of seven save opportunities, and Williams acclimated as the eighth-inning guy (allowing earned runs in just two of 15 appearances). But then, on June 3rd, Weaver injured his hamstring, and Williams got his old job back.

For the next month, Williams was the 'Airbender.' He threw 13 2/3 innings with a 1.98 ERA and recorded eight saves without blowing any. But something happened over the All-Star break. Maybe the Monstars needed a closer for their intergalactic baseball team, or perhaps he got Freaky Friday'd with Albert Abreu. Still, whatever it was, the results in the second half have been abominable. Williams has unraveled, allowing eight runs in 7 2/3 innings, and from July 30 to August 5, he has three appearances with two blown saves and a loss. 

For a pitcher as talented as Williams, with a sustained track record of success, I fully expect him to put together another dominant stretch before the end of the season. However, I would not trust him with the closer responsibilities, especially when three other guys in the bullpen can do the job (Weaver, David Bednar, Camilo Doval).

And if Williams does right the ship, I would extend the qualifying offer at the end of the season, expecting him to decline it and sign a long-term deal elsewhere. If he accepts and calls the bluff, then the Yankees have an expensive but potentially dominant setup man for 2026. 

Paul Goldschmidt

The future Hall-of-Famer signed with the Yankees after a career-worst season with the Cardinals in 2024. It was a bargain bin signing - one-year, $12 million, but reasonably made, since Goldschmidt had a typical 120 wRC+ during the second half of the season in 2024. 

For the first two months of the season, he made Brian Cashman look like a genius. He hit .333/.388/.486 in 238 plate appearances, and what looked like a stopgap signing turned into something more. Goldschmidt was penciling his name onto the 2026 roster. 

However, the wheels fell off in June when he hit .143/.226/.238 in 94 plate appearances. His July was better: .280/.308/.400, but still a far cry from his excellent first two months of the season. The Yanks have Ben Rice, MLB's unluckiest hitter (he has the worst xBA - AVG among qualified hitters), waiting in the wings to take over at first base next year, and Goldschmidt's role as a defensive stalwart and short-side platoon bat (he's still hitting over .400 against lefties) probably won't be enough to entice him to stick around. 

Anthony Volpe

Amid a months-long slump, it seems like so long ago that the Yanks swept the Brewers on opening weekend, and talk of torpedo bats consumed the baseball world. Of course, Volpe, with his torpedo bat, homered twice, and 10 games into the season, he was slashing .268/.333/.634. Through the first month of the season, it was .237/.328/.456, and Volpe was doing most of his damage against fastballs, cutters, and splitters. 

Over the next three months, pitchers adjusted and threw fewer of those pitches and more breaking balls. Volpe lost his confidence, and his strength became a weakness. He couldn't hit fastballs or anything else, and in June, he fell into an 0-for-25 skid. From May through July, he hit .206/.266/.393 in 302 plate appearances, and his defense earned him ire on the back pages of the New York tabloids. 

Then the calendar turned to August, and good Volpe was back. Five games into the month, he was hitting .333/.368/.722. Whether that is a trend or an apparition in a small sample size remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Volpe is no longer untouchable. 

There are 18 qualified shortstops with a higher OPS than Volpe, and he leads the league in errors. I know the fans are all hoping good Volpe sticks around for the rest of the season and puts this discussion to rest, but an improvement at shortstop is one of the easiest paths to make the team better.

It's unlikely that the front office gets an offer that reflects Volpe's once-prized status, but he is on a rookie contract and put up 3.5 fWAR last season, which means he could have some trade value. 

Aaron Boone

At this point, picking on Boone almost feels like bullying. I'm a massive fan of his. The home run he hit against Tim Wakefield in 2003 is one of the best fan moments of the century. However, it's obvious he's not the right guy for the job. 

The Yankees lost the World Series last year because they played a poor fundamental game, and this year it hasn't gotten any better. From base running mistakes to mental errors on defense, the problem is endemic within the organization. They are anti-clutch, and often it seems like Boone not only makes the wrong decision, but the worst possible decision for the situation. 

The Yanks lead the AL in run differential (runs scored - runs allowed) but are on the verge of missing the playoffs. They are under .500 in one-run games and extra-inning games. The impact of a manager is hard to quantify, but I think they should bring the best out of their players when it matters most, and Boone's Yankees beat themselves far too often. 

Honorable Mention

Austin Wells has the 11th highest fWAR among qualified catchers, so if an upgrade presents itself, the Yankees would be foolish to pass it up. Still, there are no obvious replacements in free agency, so Wells probably isn't going anywhere unless they plan to move Ben Rice to catcher full-time and bring in a first baseman. Jonathan Loaisiga and Mark Leiter Jr. are two of the low men on the totem pole in the bullpen. If the Yankees go after another star reliever, one of these guys could be the odd man out.