4 Yankees players the fans have already lost patience with

Editor's note: This article was written before the Yankees decided to designate Aaron Hicks for assignment.

The 2023 New York Yankees have dug themselves out of a remarkably frustrating early portion of the season, but not all the way just yet.

This roster still displays significant inconsistency and, yes, while they're competing in the dangerous AL East without three projected starting pitchers and Giancarlo Stanton, it would've been nice to see them assemble quality depth instead of stumbling into Jake Bauers.

Oh, and they still broke camp this spring without a left fielder. Never forget that.

While the vibes are improving (standing your ground against the Jays and Rays while refuting nonsensical Aaron Judge allegations will do that), there are still a few names on this roster who come with automatic ire attached.

As the Yankees look to welcome back injured players (Sevy Sunday?) and pare down the roster, these four players have the most to lose. Apologies to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jhony Brito, who were miscast at first, but are now playing their roles much better, and have earned a promotion off the Frustration List.

4 Yankees players the fans have already lost patience with in 2023

Clarke Schmidt

Clarke Schmidt's recent run of starts has improved, but he's produced an awful lot of frustration already for a former top prospect trying to lock down a rotation spot.

The numbers are ghastly enough, and he's taxed the bullpen in nearly every outing, recently recording his first "win" of the season against the Oakland A's.

What's most frustrating, though, is we were assured that this season would be different for Schmidt, and that the cutter he developed in the offseason would be the key to his ability to handle left-handers and graduate from the bullpen.

Unfortunately, that cutter somehow decreased his ability to handle lefties this season. Through nine starts, they're hitting a ridiculous .369/.448/.667 against Schmidt with a 1.104 OPS. That would lead the league, by a significant margin; NL MVP threat Ronald Acuña Jr. is your current MLB leader with a 1.050 mark.

Last season, when lefties were a "problem" that needed to be addressed? They hit just .268/.358/.439 with a .797 OPS against Schmidt. Rumor has it that adjusting his grip to the cutter has neutered the effectiveness of all his other pitches and caused his rhythm to get out of whack. Whatever the cause, Schmidt had a golden opportunity to prove himself as a starter this spring, and instead proved that his fate may lie in the bullpen (at best) moving forward.

He was positively ... fine in Cincinnati on Friday (and still managed to create a jam and make the game closer than it had to be right before he left). That didn't change his ultimate fate, in our eyes.

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.

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.