Ridiculous number of Yankees have food poisoning as losing streak becomes parody

Pictured Below: Ryan McMahon holding both handrails on the sides of the toilet, closing his eyes and praying to an unseen God he no longer believes in.

Adam Weinrib

May 21, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) gestures after hitting a double in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the New York Yankees' lineup dropped for Wednesday's finale against the Detroit Tigers, it was hilariously strange. That's so par for the course these days, though, that it didn't even register with most fans that something additional could be wrong.

Every single day, the lineup looks like something cooked up during a 2021 COVID outbreak. This time around, the disease is food poisoning, and it knocked Spencer Jones from the lineup and paused Ryan McMahon's rehab assignment.

This isn't run-of-the-mill rumblies, either. Several Yankees were strapped to IVs on Wednesday morning, and some of the afflicted are playing in the game. That could be exactly the jolt they need. A stirring message to all the folks who act like baseball is only played on paper and not by humans and that the Yankees should wake up any day now just ... because. Everything evens out!

Is it possible the Yankees' horrific food poisoning has been causing their recent offensive issues? If so, the Yankees are desperately trying to downplay that narrative. According to Boone, this all began Tuesday night — though Boone also ate that Tuesday night meal and feels no ill effects...

...yet.

This stems from last night. Boone thought guys may have eaten the same after last night’s game, but he ate the same food and felt fine.

"I woke up to a lot of messages about overnight stuff from a number of guys," he said. #Yankees https://t.co/xNOhKg19RV
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) July 1, 2026

Yankees' food poisoning, while kind of funny, could actually continue to wreck their defensive plans

Jones isn't in a groove (no one is), but is still a difficult scratch. McMahon, on the other hand? The Yankees haven't received many offensive contributions this season from the veteran, but without him manning third base, the depth chart has become a complete cluster. This losing streak began when Cam Schlittler's defense behind him at Fenway Park let him down to the tune of six unearned runs; Amed Rosario at third and Jose Caballero in left, shuffling around because of McMahon's absence, were the main culprits. Since then, Caballero has erred at second, while Oswaldo Cabrera had a difficult moment in the spotlight at the hot corner. The Yankees' unearned runs have ballooned, and McMahon's return as a key puzzle piece would've gone a long way towards solving that issue.

He might still be back Friday after missing Wednesday's game, but it certainly seems less likely.

And so the Yankees will wait, and gasp, and burp, and drain, and be as violently ill as any fan who's attempted to watch the past six games in an unbroken chain. Yay.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.