Yankees' new 'worst loss of the season' should create legitimate roster questions

It doesn't matter if it was a series win heading into the All-Star break. It doesn't matter if it felt like the New York Yankees were regaining some life when they needed it most. Because they did everything they couldn't possibly afford to do in the finale on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Like so many times in previous years, the Yankees have murdered their momentum with a crucial break on the horizon. Remember 2021, when they were three outs away from sweeping the Houston Astros with a five-run lead in the ninth inning? Guess the outcome of that one if you can remember!

Things weren't quite as bad on Sunday in terms of relinquishing that big of a lead, but after Ben Rice clocked a three-run homer off Craig Kimbrel in the top of the ninth to give the Yankees a two-run cushion, fans couldn't have experienced higher hopes. This was it. They were going to sweep the O's, put the battle of the beanballs to rest, and show that they were in control of the division.

Instead, Clay Holmes allowed the Nos. 7 and 9 hitters to reach, which made everyone feel like the meltdown was coming. And it did ... in ways few expected. It wasn't Holmes that continued to spiral, it was the Yankees' defense.

With two outs, the bases loaded and an 0-2 count, Holmes induced a routine grounder off the bat of Ryan Mountcastle. Directly to Anthony Volpe. Easy a pie. Except Volpe botched it, a run scored, and the O's cut the lead to 5-4.

Yankees' new worst loss of the season should create legitimate roster questions

The next batter? Once again, The Worst Hitter on the Team Cedric Mullins, who inexplicably haunts the Yankees even when he's at his most incapable, came through. This time, though, he should've been out. He poked a fly ball into left field with a 99% catch probability.

Game over?! Yes. But it was the Yankees who lost. Alex Verdugo misplayed the ball, taking multiple steps in off the crack of the bat, which goes against every baseball instinct anybody has ever been taught. He then tried to regain his footing and bolt for the ball heading over his head, but he stumbled and fell to the ground. The ball rolled to the wall, two runs scored, and the Orioles celebrated a 6-5 victory to avoid a back-breaking sweep with newfound life they never should've been gifted.

What's the moral of this new "worst loss of the season" story? It's that Volpe and Verdugo cannot be considered roster mainstays for 2024 or beyond. Volpe has maybe had three months of competent play since debuting last year to indicate he might be able to handle full-time shortstop duties as the team's cornerstone option. He's had such a bad six weeks that he's now a well below-average player who was moved out of the leadoff spot and has cost the team plenty of games by doing everything poorly. Though his defense has improved, he managed to do something as unforgivable as booting an easy grounder on Sunday afternoon to cost his team dearly. Not to mention, there's a real problem — he has SIX WALKS in his last 25 games to go along with just 19 hits. He's barely showing up.

And Verdugo? The man who started the whole "DAWGS" narrative for this team? He's now arguably unplayable. Don't believe us? For the past two-plus months, there are only SEVEN players in all of MLB with at least 200 plate appearances that have a worse OPS than he does. His defense over the first six weeks of the season was a breath of fresh air, but like it always transpires, everything's come crashing down to new lows nobody's ever witnessed. Verdugo has just a 0.1 dWAR and 2 OAA in 2024. Sure, it's better than what the Yankees have had, but he can't have an 88 OPS+, murder every scoring opportunity known to man, and fail to make routine plays in the outfield.

Let's get this straight: the Yankees aren't going to do anything about this. We're just saying what happened on Sunday should create uncomfortable roster questions. The reality is this: Volpe is hardly the "shortstop of the future" based on what he's shown across 1.5 years of play, and Verdugo is as good as gone (and maybe should be before the trade deadline) when the curtains close on 2024. Whatever we are witnessing right now would be unacceptable on any other major league team.

Like today's game, hopes were once incredibly high for these two players. Volpe's sophomore resurgence appeared as if he'd entrench himself in the conversation as one of the best shortstops in the game. There were a few whispers about Verdugo's importance to the clubhouse and the possibility of a contract extension. No more, though. All the goodwill has been thrown into the trash, doused in lighter fluid, and set on fire.

Welcome to the Same Old Yankees Story, five years running.