3 Yankees players who need to step up before it’s too late

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A win over the Seattle Mariners with Gerrit Cole on the mound won't change the outlook of the New York Yankees after what fans have seen since Aaron Judge went down with his toe injury. And even before that, plenty of players were failing to carry their weight.

But now we're reaching a critical point. It's the end of June. The All-Star break is almost here. The trade deadline is barely six weeks away. General manager Brian Cashman will have plenty of tough decisions to make if this team fails to get in some sort of rhythm, with or without Judge.

The fact of the matter is that the supporting cast around the reigning MVP needs to be better than this if the Yankees want a chance to win the World Series in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026! The outlook doesn't get better heading into any of those seasons, and it's looking particularly bleak right now when it seemed like this was supposed to be "the year" with Carlos Rodón, Frankie Montas, Harrison Bader and others expected to be in the fold.

Spoiler alert: injuries have once again left us wondering what this team is actually capable of. But that's not an excuse for some players, even some that dealt with ailments to begin the season. With some undefined situations and murky futures, there's no question these three players need to start turning their play around before it's too late.

Yankees players who need to turn their seasons around now

Anthony Volpe

When scouts are worried about Anthony Volpe's swing to the point where they think he might need a demotion to Triple-A, then, yeah, it's time to fret a bit. Volpe has gradually regressed this season after a promising-ish start in April. Apparently, he had to take matters into his own hands to determine a mechanical issue with his swing ... but that also hasn't yielded the proper results.

His defense has also left a lot to be desired. He's struggled with routine plays and definitely needs his footwork/angles to be a bit more refined (to compensate for his less-than-stellar arm). At first, his defense was a breath of fresh air because fans were accustomed to two unnatural shortstops in Gleyber Torres and Isiah Kiner-Falefa the last three seasons, but the most important position on the field is still lacking elite defense. That needs to be fixed, especially if Volpe isn't an offensive contributor.

Statistically, he's one of the worst full-time hitters in MLB. He's batting .191 with a .265 OBP, .614 OPS and 70 OPS+. He's stolen just two bases since May 14 (through Tuesday's play). He has three walks since May 25. One homer since May 31. The Yankees claim he won't be demoted, but at what point does this play become too detrimental to the roster?

Josh Donaldson

The media had the audacity to ask Josh Donaldson about his status for the 2024 season when he's still yet to find his footing in 2023 after his worst career campaign in 2022. Why are we even breathing life into the Yankees potentially picking up his team option for next year when he's yet to positively contribute one bit since arriving in New York?

Donaldson is making $21.75 million this season and the reason he needs to turn it around before it's too late is because, if the Yankees have a shred of dignity, they should consider designating him for assignment within the next five weeks if he continues to flail at 94 MPH middle-middle fastballs. Donaldson's at-bats are the equivalent of the worst kind of slasher movie for Yankees fans because of how agonizing they are.

Not only that, but his defense can be replaced by DJ LeMahieu, who is an equally competent glove at the hot corner. DJLM's been struggling with his bat, too, but nowhere near the level of Donaldson's futility (.213 AVG, .683 OPS since joining the Yankees).

And again, with Oswald Peraza tearing it up at Triple-A, what's the point of keeping him there for a majority of this season when things really can't get worse with Donaldson at the moment? The Yankees hummed along without him from April 6 until June 1. There was a noticeable difference in the team's performance. Nobody even noticed he was gone. And now everybody notices he's back for all the wrong reasons, particularly for his recent defensive gaffes.

If he's not hitting the ball a month from now, he should be the second massive DFA of the 2023 season for the Bombers.

Luis Severino

Every Yankees fan dreams of the day where Luis Severino rediscovers his 2017-2018 form ... but it's just probably not going to happen. He's been terrible for 18.2 of his 30 innings pitched since returning from the IL in late May (yes, he was once again injured for an extensive period of time for the FIFTH season in a row!).

He's under contract through 2023, but there's an urgency for him to turn it around because of the approaching deadline. There's a world in which Severino gets traded for change-of-scenery purposes if the team is (rightfully) fed up, should he continue at this pace for the next month or so.

The right-hander was supposed to be a luxury "ace-type" behind Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, but he's instead been a liability and borderline bullpen demotion candidate after his last four outings. Ever since he tipped his pitches in LA back at the beginning of the month, he's been completely broken, pitching to a 9.16 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in June. Unacceptable.

The Yankees need Severino and Severino needs the Yankees in 2023. They need him to reach their desired heights and he needs them to get his desired contract once he hits free agency. Though both outlooks no longer appear optimistic, a good month from Sevy could erase the horrific three weeks he just endured.

As quickly as the narrative soured, it could turn in his favor. All he has to do is show up.

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