This major Yankees problem could sink offense during Aaron Judge's absence

When New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon connected for an RBI single on Thursday (which ended up winning the game), Yankees fans were stunned. McMahon is known for his slick glove, but his bat's been consistently disappointing.

The former All-Star has a .206/.286/.340 line in 110 games in Pinstripes. Yankees fans have often called for McMahon's benching, and any "resurgences" he's experienced at the plate have been short-lived.

But McMahon's not the only guy making the bottom of the Yanks' order an utter buzzkill. Austin Wells has been brutal at the plate this year, too (.169/.283/.261). Moreover, Anthony Volpe's recent arrival hasn't fixed the Yankees' season-long problem at the bottom of the lineup. Volpe is 11-for-50 so far this season (.220) — not exactly a needle-mover.

In fact, the McMahon-Wells-Volpe triumvirate might be one of the worst statistical 7-through-9 combos in MLB, if you look at some metrics highlighted by Twitter/X user @ChrisCoop_.

A batting average and strikeout rate that each rank dead-last in baseball? That's the kind of dreadfulness that could prevent the Yankees from contending, and we won't even delve into the fact that McMahon is making $16 million this year. That's for another day.

In light of Wells' failures, the Yankees are rumored to be looking for upgrades at catcher on the market. They have to do something, as this lineup issue simply isn't sustainable, especially now that Aaron Judge is expected to miss multiple months with a rib cage stress fracture.

Aaron Judge's injury puts immense pressure on a flawed Yankees lineup

Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, and, more recently, Paul Goldschmidt, have been really good this year, but it's not like the Yankees have a sparkling offense. Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have underwhelmed (though each has been better lately), and Giancarlo Stanton's been out since the end of April.

The warts of this lineup — highlighted in bold when you get to batters 7-through-9 — are about to matter a lot more with a three-time MVP bat hitting the IL for an extended period. Even if the names mentioned above offer consistent production in an attempt to hold down the fort, the Yankees will be in danger of losing a lot of close games due to their incomplete offense.

The Yankees recalled Spencer Jones from Triple-A to fill in for Judge. Jones will provide some slug, but he'll also bring with him the heavy baggage that is his strikeout rate. He won't make New York's offensive concerns go away in the slightest.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will surely be monitoring the market for another bat, but we've seen how gun-shy he can be in situations like this, often preferring to wait and see. At least New York's rotation is getting healthier by the day. The Yankees will need that aspect of the team to be squeaky clean while Judge is out.

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