Thursday was the Yankees’ first day off in two weeks and they will get another one on Monday, so there’s no excuse not to use a well-rested bullpen as needed this weekend in Sacramento.
With the Yankees set to play the last three games of May, let’s go through some questions and comments from readers.
Is Jazz Chisholm at second base someone we can depend on to get to the World Series or should the Yankees take advantage of his current hot streak to improve their bullpen before the trade deadline? – Joe
The Yankees did go to the World Series with Jazz Chisholm at second base two years ago, however, he posted a .521 OPS in the ALDS and a .449 OPS in the ALCS (and then a .685 OPS in the World Series), so it’s not like he helped the team much in getting there. So yes, they can get there with him, but if they do, I wouldn’t expect a whole lot from him given his approach at the plate and how it fares against elite starters and relievers.
The time to trade Chisholm was during the offseason. I would put the odds of the Yankees re-signing Chisholm at close to zero, so moving him this past winter coming off a career year was the time to move him. But in theory, if Chisholm were to repeat his 2025 regular season in 2026, the Yankees would be making their team worse by moving him. He hasn’t repeated the season and has been dreadful for most of it, so now not moving him looks like a missed opportunity. I would be stunned if the Yankees moved him this summer. It would take Anthony Volpe finally playing like a major leaguer and George Lombard Jr. going off in Triple-A and forcing a call-up for the thought to be considered, and even then, I don’t think he gets traded. Instead, he will walk for nothing.
What is your opinion about people suggesting Volpe should move to second base next year to replace Chisholm? – Rick
If Volpe were to play second base and bat ninth, I would be fine with it. He’s clearly not a shortstop and I will need hundreds (if not thousands) of at-bats from him now to prove he’s able to hit major-league pitching after three disastrous offensive seasons.
The issue with Volpe is what he represents, which is the Yankees’ arrogance to send him down before this year and to keep starting him and playing him every day in a way that only Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Juan Soto have been allowed to play every day for the Yankees in recent years. I think the Yankees’ recent admission he will start to learn second base (why hasn’t he been doing this all along?) is their way of telling us he isn’t the shortstop of the future. I think that will be Lombard Jr.
Lombard Jr. was 7-for-55 with no extra-base hits to start his Triple-A career at the end of April, but he’s gone 12-for-42 with four doubles and a home run over the last 10 days. He seems to be starting to figure the level out, and if he continues to do so, I think we will see him in the Bronx in the second half of this season. Maybe an infield of Lombard Jr. at short, Volpe at second and Jose Caballero at third with Ryan McMahon on the bench? Sign me up for that.
Is Anthony Volpe for real since his return? – Clay
No, Volpe isn’t for real. The walks he has compiled so far have been a product of the opposing pitcher throwing no pitches near the strike zone. Both you and I could have as many walks as Volpe so far as he hasn’t battled for them or had to work long counts and wait for a mistake. He has just had to stand there. He has had a couple of timely hits (one against the Mets and one against the Royals), but please do not let 11 mostly good games from Volpe fool you into thinking this is who he is.
Volpe has had these kinds of “hot” starts to seasons before reverting back to his career self, which is the worst everyday offensive player in baseball since the start of 2023. It will take him posting a positive OPS+ for the entire season for me to think he may be progressing, and even then I wouldn’t be sold on him. For now, enjoy any positive contribution he makes because it’s clear the Yankees were able to weasel their way into getting what they want with him on the roster and now he will play every day no matter what.
Would the Yankees consider curtailing Cam Schlittler’s innings by converting him to their closer going into September/October, or would they not want to take the chance of putting him through such a conversion? – Rich
If the Yankees put an innings limit on Schlittler this season and stop starting him or move him to the bullpen, that will be it for me as a Yankees fan and baseball fan, officially. The goal is to win the World Series and Schlittler is currently the best pitcher in baseball. If the Yankees win the World Series with Schlittler in the rotation and he never pitches again, he will have done his job. The Yankees shouldn’t be in the business of worrying about Schlittler’s arm health for the next five years, they should be worried about getting as much out of it as they can while he is this good.
Innings limits are ridiculous. There is no proof that an arm will give out after so many pitches or innings or that an arm will ever give out. I do believe each pitcher only has so many pitches in their arm, but each arm is different and no one number works for everyone. Schlittler could blow out his arm this week against the Guardians or next season in spring training or in two years or never. The only way to protect a human arm from throwing a baseball overhand is to not throw a baseball overhand. Schlittler isn’t Carlos Lagrange or some prospect with control issues who may be best suited for the bullpen, he’s the best pitcher in the world at the moment and part of a rotation that gives the Yankees a real chance at winning it all.
Do you think the Yankees can win with the bullpen they have right now if no moves are made to improve it? – Mark
No. The Yankees’ best two middle relievers are Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz, and while I like them both, Hill pitches to contact, and if opposing players never swung at pitch from Cruz, they would all walk. On top of that, their closer’s best pitch isn’t a fastball. I don’t trust any reliever outside of those three and my trust in those three is shaky unless they are put into perfect situations. This bullpen is bad and the manager is bad at utilizing it. Put those two things together and unless the rotation is going to give you seven-plus innings in each postseason start, the bullpen will ruin their season (if the offense doesn’t first).
Looking into your crystal ball, what is the Yankees’ record on September 1? – Larry
I have a wager on the Yankees over 90.5 wins this season, so I hope their record on September 1 has them on pace to eclipse that total.
The Yankees are 34-22 and playing .607 baseball, which is a 98-win pace. The Yankees will have played 138 games going into September and at a .607 winning percentage, that would have them at 84-54 with 24 games to play. That means they will have gone 50-30 between May 29 and August 31. Now that’s not planning for the annual Boone Swoon in June, but if Max Fried comes back healthy, it’s impossible to envision extended losing streaks with Fried, Schlittler and Gerrit Cole. Those three are good enough to make sure the Boone Swoon isn’t a part of 2026. Fuck it. Let’s say the Yankees are 30 games over .500 on September. That means my over 90.5 wins wager is going to win and it means the Yankees will be on their way to the 1-seed in the American League playoffs.
Last modified: May 29, 2026
