Monthly Archives: June 2026

When the month began — the darkest of all months for Yankee fans — we got the worst news imaginable: Aaron Judge would be out for a while. Given the team’s recent struggles in June, it seemed like we were due for more of the same or even worse. We’ve conveniently forgotten that the Yankees were historically good in June of 2022, going 22-6, but the last three years have seen early season success evaporate into mediocrity as they posted marks of 11-12, 14-13, and 13-14. June Swoon, indeed.

There were lots of theories floated ranging from complacency to an organization-wide lack of fundamentals, but it’s probably more coincidence than anything else. If the June Swoons had been caused by Aaron Boone or by something lacking in the organization, surely a team missing its best player would be knee deep in it right now, right? But they’re not. They’re thriving.

The Yankees are 9-4 during this month, a surge that’s seen them move back into first place with the best record in the American League, and somehow the offense doesn’t seem to miss the best non-Barry Bonds hitter you and I have ever seen. They’ve scored 6.3 runs per game and compiled a +38 run differential in just thirteen games. They’re getting essentially nothing from the catcher spot (zero home runs, two RBIs) and Anthony Volpe is Anthony Volpe (.222/.282/.306), but three batters have been hitting at MVP levels. Take a look:

I think people around baseball have accepted that Rice is one of the best hitters in the game, so his dip during this month is more of a lull than a correction. Bellinger is exactly what the Yankees hoped they’d get when they resigned him during this past off-season. He’s been invaluable on both sides of the ball. But Goldschmidt? He was supposed to play a couple games a week and maybe pinch hit against a lefty from time to time, but mainly his role was going to be clubhouse leadership and defensive tutoring for young Master Rice. No one was expecting this level of production from an aging star on what was assumed to be his final contract. Given this recent spate of injuries, it’s difficult to imagine where the team would be without Goldy.

But even with all this success, I miss Aaron Judge. The team is winning, but there’s something missing. I don’t have the anchor of Judge’s five at bats to mark time through nine innings. I’m not tracking the league leaders to see where he stacks up. I’m not looking at the career home run list to find out which legend he’ll be passing next. I miss all that.

And it seems like Aaron’s feeling it, too. Each time one of his teammates returns to the dugout after hitting a big home run, the camera always finds Judge. He’s happy enough, but his smile is different. He’s there, but he’s one step removed. I could just be projecting, but there seems to be a wistfulness in his gaze as he watches his team push on without him. He’s fallen behind. Does he want them to wait, or is he desperate to catch up?

The calendar has turned to June, so you know what that means. It’s entirely possible that we’ll spend the next four weeks looking back on the glory days of April and (most of) May, wondering how this team ever scored any runs, ever got any outs, ever won any games.

The June Swoon has become as much a part of Yankee tradition as complaining about Aaron Boone, so it couldn’t have been much of a surprise that the month started off with hints at what would be the worst possible news — a long-term injury to Aaron Judge. Apparently he’s been suffering from shoulder discomfort for the past week or so, corresponding with a time during which he was hitting more like Judge Reinhold than Aaron Judge, and tests have revealed a bone bruise, which reminded me that we haven’t seen Max Fried for a while, which then made think, “Wow, Cam Schlittler has been so great that I actually forgot about Max Fried!”

But Schlittler has the same calendar the rest of us do, so maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised when he was shelled by the Guardians on Tuesday night. Can’t we have nice things? At least for a while?

But the news isn’t all bad. In fact, there’s reason for hope. Paul “Run It Back” Goldschmidt has been raking against lefties, and he had another nice night in the 9-4 loss. Ben Rice has been so good that I don’t think anyone’s expeting a regression anymore. Also, there’s word that the Yankees are preparing to unleash Weapon X on the American League, as they’ve moved flamethrower Carlos Lagrange into the bullpen down in Scranton with designs on bringing him to the Bronx in the near future. (Don’t worry, this isn’t another Joba Rules fiasco; they still see him as a future mainstay in the rotation, but the possibility of seeing 103mph fastballs coming out of the bullpen is too much to resist right now.)

Oh, and what about the Tarik Skubal rumors? While it’s nice to dream about a playoff rotation of Cole, Skubal, Schlittler, and Fried, with Rodón, Weathers, Warren, and Schmidt in the bullpen, a Skubal trade would be foolish, since any conversation with Detroit would begin with Schlittler, Rice, and probably Lombard, Jr. or Lagrange. I still don’t mind that they packaged prospects for a year of Juan Soto, but sending a bigger haul for half a season of Skubal, even if it netted a World Series win, seems a bit steep.

Finally, before June gets too gloomy, let’s remember that these Yankees are still just a game out of first place. Let’s go, Yankees!

[Photo Courtesy of the Author]