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.

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.