4 Yankees players the fans have already lost patience with

Aaron Hicks

It happened. It actually happened. Hicks was designated for assignment on Sunday to make room for Greg Allen, of all people, a decision that was far past due.

After all, he'd been nearly banned from home games and, even after a recent XBH "binge" (two XBH, 10 hits on the season), his OPS+ still sits at a meaty 47. It's Aaron Hicks, the weakest $10 million ever spent!

We're not like the other blogs. I'm willing to acknowledge that, in 2019, when his long-term deal was signed, it wasn't the worst idea in the world. It seemed like a silly amount of years to commit to Hicks, but the outfielder was genuinely good in 2017 and 2018. It was a risky bet, considering the length of his injury history and limited amount of good data, but it was fairier then than it looks in retrospect.

That said ... if the Yankees were willing to commit so much money and so many years to him back then, they had to be equally willing to cut bait if things went off the rails. They did, and they haven't been.

Hicks' Tommy John surgery in 2019 and wrist sheath injury in 2021 clearly damaged his ability to hit for power. The 2021 injury, in particular, seems like a killer these days. That said, those procedures don't excuse his apparent lack of effort from time to time. His wrist injury two years ago didn't lead directly to him demanding clarity on his role in the New York press just a few games into the 2023 season.

Now that we're under $30 million left on Hicks' deal, it's past time to cut bait and accept the failure. Yes, even though this team still doesn't have a left fielder. That's how glaring Hicks' malfeasance has been. The possibility of him as a savior isn't even worth entertaining.

Albert Abreu

If this isn't the end of the road for Albert Abreu, it has to be coming around the bend (even after his outing against the Blue Jays on Thursday night).

The "beneficiary" of Ian Hamilton's injury (congrats, man!), Abreu should survive a little longer as the bullpen gets one man thinner. That doesn't mean he's any form of trustworthy.

After pitching surprisingly well to begin the 2023 season (common Cashman success, 0.00 ERA through eight innings), the wheels fell off, as everyone knew they would. He leaked a bit in two innings against the Blue Jays before officially bursting at the seams in allowing six earned runs in one inning against the Texas Rangers.

Now, more often than not, he's back to being the textbook definition of a mop-up artist, despite sporting a 99 MPH fastball that should be good for far more than it is. There's no reason Abreu should have the WHIP of a soft-tosser like Ryan Weber who pitches to contact, but he certainly does (1.55, which is certifiably insane, and was only lowered from 1.65 due to two surprisingly good outings in Toronto and Cincinnati).

Sometimes, when teams like the Kansas City Royals let talent walk out the door with a fastball this electric, "smarter" teams like the Yankees celebrate early. "We did it!" they yell. "We outsmarted them! We got an arm we're familiar with back in the system for free! They had no idea what they were doing with him!" And, yes, occasionally, bottom-feeder teams don't have the same level of developmental patience or know-how as the league's best talent spotters.

Sometimes, though, it just means that teams like the Kansas City Royals realized early on that something's missing from Abreu's arsenal, and that no amount of tinkering would make him part of their future. This certainly seems like one of those instances.

Domingo Germán

Two things are true: Domingo Germán briefly earned back the fans' trust by being one of the Yankees' more effective starters in April and May, and Germán lost that trust entirely by being foolish enough to dabble in sticky stuff for the second time in a month and get himself suspended this week.

The Yankees, already in the midst of a marathon without off days, can't replace Germán on the roster, and will have to play a man down because he can't figure out the rosin situation, vis a vis where it goes, when you put it on, and how much of it you can use. If that's not a patience-tester, I'm not sure what is.

Germán helped the Yankees survive the losses of Severino, Carlos Rodón and Frankie Montas (remember him?) early, but this is far from the first time his immaturity (and that's being generous) has cost the team.

He was suspended and removed from the roster just before the 2019 postseason after a domestic violence incident at a team charity event; famously, the Yankees were a pitcher (or two) short during that run, and started Chad Green in a do-or-die Game 6 on the road in Houston. Germán seems to have rehabilitated his personal life, and that's fine, but his recent on-field decisions and outright foolishness have tested the fan base's patience yet again.

Cue hundreds of commenters who somehow refuse to agree with this assertion, considering that's what happens every time we write about Germán, but if this distinctly average right-hander isn't testing your patience now, I'm not sure what to tell you.