Reasons to worry about Yankees in playoffs are suddenly adding up

Everything seemed so right in Yankeeland when the AL East’s second-place team arrived in The Bronx this week. Then the ump said play ball.

The early appraisals (including here) gushed about the Bronx Bombers. Everyone was talking about how great things were going, and especially how remarkable their streak of good health was.

The reality check came quick.

The supposedly slumping Orioles, who clinched a playoff spot in Game 1 Tuesday, outlasted their hosts 9-7 Wednesday, drawing occasional boos from fans at Yankee Stadium, who noticed things aren’t quite so perfect after all.

Say this for the O’s. They do not look intimidated in the 718.

Orioles slugger Anthony Santander banged one off the foul pole and Colton Cowser hit one practically to the Grand Concourse Tuesday, then the Orioles started Wednesday’s game with five straight singles — though at least one of those hits should have been fielded (more on that later). The Yankees rallied for four runs in the ninth inning, three on Aaron Judge’s homer, his 57th, but couldn’t quite overcome the previous eight innings.

The overwhelming odds say these two games will be nothing more than a bad memory. I didn’t need to hire an analytics whiz from MIT to know the Yankees still hold a 99.3 percent chance to win this division (that assumes all seven remaining games of significance are a 50-50 proposition).

The Yankees still will be fairly viewed as favorites in the American League derby, not just because they have the highest payroll, the most stars or even the best record but for all the reasons everyone seems so happy around here in recent days (at least by the standards of the ultraserious Yankee employees). Their rotation appears solid and sound, their lineup is imposing in many spots and their bullpen is better than critics suggest. Their health is also generally excellent (though no longer perfect), especially by the standards of recent Yankee Septembers.

It’s still fair to ask, of course, whether the past couple days trigger October worry. IIt’s still fair to ask, of course, whether the past couple days trigger October worry. Iasked Aaron Boone what concerned him most now, and it’s no surprise he didn’t pinpoint one thing, partly because there’s no obvious overall weakness and partly because he is preternaturally polite.

We don’t have that problem here. So as the magic number remains one and the champagne continues to chill, let’s rate the concerns.

1. Nestor Cortes has an elbow issue.

So much for perfect health. Turns out Cortes has been feeling something amiss since Sunday, and an MRI exam Wednesday revealed a flexor tendon issue. He’s been shut down seven to 10 days, and all Boone could say is Cortes hasn’t been ruled out if they go deep into October. Loose translation: We very likely won’t see him ’til next year.

While Cortes wasn’t likely ticketed for the rotation, he’s a tough lefty with big stones and would have made a useful postseason weapon. Worry meter (1-5 scale): 4.

2. The left field solution still isn’t apparent.

We loved it when they promoted Jasson Dominguez, an immense talent who provided sudden power in a 2023 cameo. But after a couple weeks, we can see occasional signs why Boone seemed reluctant to replace veteran Alex Verdugo. Dominguez, who overran a catchable fly ball near the line for a long single Wednesday, looks decidedly shaky in left while playing slightly more than half the games.

Meantime, Verdugo continues to start about half the time, and his offensive woes haven’t abated even after reportedly discovering he was allergic to his batting gloves (he’s 3-for-his-last-23). This remains a competition with four games to go because Verdugo makes plays out there. Worry meter (1-5 scale): 4.

3. The cleanup hitter is an issue again.

The Yankees struggled here before finally installing catcher Austin Wells, who looked like the answer and a Rookie of the Year candidate in the key spot behind superstar Aaron Judge. But Wells is hitting .125 in September and the Yankees remain fourth from the bottom in cleanup OPS (.652). Wells’ TikToks, however, remain first-rate, I’m told. Worry meter: (1-5 scale): 3.

4. The bullpen isn’t comprised of strikeout artists.

The high-leverage guys, with new star Luke Weaver anchoring things, and Tommy Kahnle, Ian Hamilton, Tim Hill and hopefully former closer Clay Holmes setting up, is shutting down most teams lately. And Weaver is becoming a swing-and-miss star (22 strikeouts in his last 10 innings). However, in a late-game matchup with the Guardians or Astros, they do look disadvantaged. Worry meter (1-5 scale): 2.

5. Gleyber Torres still needs a road map to negotiate the bases.

This remains the case, no matter how enthusiastic Boone sounds while telling us he’s “cleaned up” past baserunning woes. He’s still made six outs at home to tie Yandy Diaz for most in the majors (via YES Network).

Torres is an especially dicey runner for a leadoff man, even more so when you consider how foolish it is to run into outs in front of superstars Juan Soto and Judge. The vast majority of time, though, he does find his way to the next base. Worry meter (1-5 scale): 1.