David Lennon: Yankees dominating much of MLB, and things figure to only get better
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees walks into the dugout before their game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on May 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. Credit: Getty Images/Ezra Shaw
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On June 1, the Yankees stood at 13 games over .500, their plus-98 run differential was third best in the majors and they also led most of the critical categories involving offense and pitching rotation.
So after Sunday’s 13-9 steamrolling of the A’s, which included a history-making 13-run third inning and wrapped up May with a 5-1 road trip, Aaron Judge had this question for the haters who questioned GM Brian Cashman’s strategy of running it back with the same group for this season: How do you like us now?
“A lot of people banged on us for bringing the same guys back,” Judge said. “I love this team.”
To this point the Yankees have shown their success goes beyond the statistics. Sunday was another example, when Judge gave a verbal wake-up call to what he felt was a sleepwalking dugout. The Yankees responded by getting 12 straight batters on base, 18 overall to the plate in the third inning, and scored a baker’s dozen without hitting a ball over a fence (they lead the majors with 86 homers, two ahead of Atlanta, with one less game).
“We’re the best team in baseball,” Judge told them before the outburst. “Just want you guys to remember that — don’t forget that.”
That’s the kind of edge the Yankees are displaying this season, from the front office down to the dugout. Whether it’s the bottom-line roster moves or making sure to leave no doubt in the series finale, Judge & Co. have rallied around an “unfinished business” mindset since they arrived at Steinbrenner Field for spring training.
From a win-loss perspective, the Yankees can’t back up Judge’s claim. As of Monday, Atlanta (40-20) has baseball’s best record, followed by the Dodgers (38-21). The Yankees had the third-most wins (36-23) in the majors but still trailed the first-place Rays (36-20) by 1 1⁄2 games in the AL East. Still, the Yankees’ balanced performance along with depth in a number of areas suggest a staying power that Tampa Bay won’t hang with unless the Rays make significant upgrades over the next two months.
Things are only going to get better in the Bronx. With Gerrit Cole already looking like his old Cy Young self again, and Carlos Rodon showing steady improvement, not only does the rotation currently have MLB’s top ERA (2.97), second-best WHIP (1.10) and third-lowest opponents’ batting average (.210), the Yankees also have Max Fried on the horizon.
Offensively, Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) is inching closer as he was cleared to begin running, but you could argue the Yankees have been better off without him thanks to Paul Goldschmidt’s productivity at the plate (.261 BA, .850 OPS) and his Gold Glove defense at first base that allows Ben Rice to continuing raking as the DH. Rice tied Judge for the team lead in homers (17) this past weekend and his four RBIs in Sunday’s third inning alone padded his AL lead in that category (44).
It also appears that Anthony Volpe’s demotion may have lit a fire under the fourth-year shortstop, along with the ongoing competition between him and Jose Caballero for playing time at the position. The Yankees, as currently constructed, are a more dangerous team when they take advantage of Caballero’s versatility, and that’s what manager Aaron Boone leaned on during the road trip as Volpe started five of the six games at shortstop.
During that stretch, Volpe batted .300 (6-for-20) with a double, homer and .864 OPS. On Sunday, he became only the third player since 1974 with two hits, two stolen bases and two runs scored in the same inning.
“Just trying to juggle that,” Boone said of the daily shortstop decision. “I feel like both guys have played well and earned the right to be there. It’s not always going to be fair every day. Not everyone’s going to like it when they’re in or out of the lineup. But I feel like both guys are playing important roles for us.”
The biggest lineup concern remains at catcher, where Austin Wells has been a huge disappointment and has teamed with J.C. Escarra to turn in one of MLB’s weakest offenses at that position. Their catchers’ .180 batting average is the second lowest and the .554 OPS is third from the bottom.
Perhaps the most overlooked weapon to date for the Yankees? Whenever Judge kicks into full gear and starts wrecking teams like a three-time MVP again. That’s not to say Judge isn’t doing damage. He’s just not doing it quite to the level the Yankees have been used to, as Judge is behind last season’s pace, hitting .248 with a .907 OPS. A year ago, through his first 59 games, Judge was batting .387 with 21 homers, 50 RBIs and a 1.242 OPS, so you see the difference. Judge is simply evaluated on a different scale than everyone else.
“I’d say he has good numbers for 100% of the league,” Boone said of Judge’s output to this point. “He’s always one little hot streak from having no peers in the game, which he’s been now for several years.”
As for Judge’s recent dip, Boone replied, “Baseball is hard. Simple as that. Guys that are going to have MVP seasons like him are still going to go through stretches where they have a rough week or down month, whatever it might be. That’s just the nature of the beast.”
The Yankees, as Judge insisted, believe they’re the top dog as the calendar flips to June. For the first two months, they’ve built a solid case, which may only be more convincing in the near future.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
