The New York Yankees rightfully came alive in the home series against the Detroit Tigers after a tough road trip against the Baltimore Orioles last week. The Yanks swept the Tigers in a rain-hit series finale reduced to seven innings. From Aaron Judge and Juan Soto’s offensive bravery to Luke Weaver’s stellar outing, the Bronx Bombers had a lot of positives to gain from their first home series sweep of the season. On that note, let’s explore four such major takeaways that Yanks must take into account from this series.
1. Aaron Judge Nearing A Breakout From Early Season Slump
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was the major highlight of the series, not just for his offensive performance but also for the controversial ejection. Judge, who finished 1-for-13 against the Orioles, went 5-for-10 against the Tigers with a home run and two doubles. The captain has been struggling this season to put up runs, and consistency has been a major issue behind his silent at-bats on the plate. However, the Tigers series showed glimpses of a potential breakout for the former MVP as his batting average finally soared to .200+. Notably, Judge insisted that he would make some adjustments prior to the series and would supposedly reap the rewards for the same.
2. Leadoff Spot Not Working For Anthony Volpe
Ever since promotion to the leadoff spot, the New York Yankees’ promising shortstop Anthony Volpe has hit a slump. Volpe was a hit in the first two weeks of the season, where his average went over .400. However, while batting first, he’s just 4-for-22 with one walk and one hit by pitch. However, despite Volpe’s struggles, manager Aaron Boone is unbothered to tweak the kid’s position as he believed the shortstop’s struggles are not proportional to his hitting position. Boone argued that it’s hard for young players in this league to hit, and Volpe is already a much better hitter than he was a year ago in his rookie season. “I don’t worry about where Anthony hits and how he handles it. He’s not one of those guys I worry about with that,” said Boone.
3. Luke Weaver Filling Michael King’s Void For The Yankees
New York Yankees re-signed relief pitcher Luke Weaver for a $2 million contract earlier this off-season. And he’s doing exactly what was expected from him, filling Michael King’s void. Weaver has emerged as the Yanks’ best relief troop after Clay Holmes. The pitcher has reduced his pitching arsenal to just a four-seam fastball, cutter, and changeup. And all these three variations are far better compared to the previous season. “I have a lot of confidence in a lot of different roles that he can serve down there,” said Boone of Weaver.
4. Gerrit Cole Takes Huge Step In Recovery Process
Gerrit Cole threw a bullpen session for the first time since elbow injury diagnosis as he threw 15 pitches with 89 mph average fastballs. “This was a good day for me. I was fired up,” said Cole after the session. With the return timeline uncertain, Aaron Boone claimed that Cole would pitch another bullpen session this week, and a final call over his return would be taken afterward. So far, the Yankees are positive about Cole’s progress. However, he will still jump the May 27 timeline due to a lack of proper spring build-up.
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