Yankees general manager Brian Cashman isn’t ready to panic. Yet.
“We’re not playing well, especially on offense,” Cashman said during Thursday’s off day, after the Yankees scored a total of four runs in three games (two losses) against the Astros.
“We’ve got to get that right. But we will.”
The upcoming schedule could work in their favor. Though the Yankees’ next six games are on the road, it comes against two teams — the Braves and Red Sox — who have long since exited the playoff race.
Atlanta has lost nine of 10 and is in peril of sinking past Miami and Philadelphia in the basement of the NL East. And in Boston, another flirtation with last place cost GM Ben Cherington his job and will deprive the fans at Fenway of a typically high-pitched Yankee-Red Sox September matchup.
When the Yankees return home, they face a Rays team that flirted with the wild-card race for much of the season, but has also fallen under .500.
“All it takes is one good game for a team or an offense and you’re off and running,” Cashman said.
For the Yankees’ sake, that good game needs to come soon. They lost three of four to Cleveland in The Bronx last week, another series that was supposed to help the Yankees’ playoff odds. And when this upcoming nine-game stretch is over, they have to face the Orioles and Blue Jays for seven straight games at the Stadium.
“We’ve got a lot of guys slumping right now,” Cashman said. “I don’t think it will stay like that for long.”
And while anyone on the 40-man roster is a candidate to be called up when rosters expand on September 1 — including Rob Refnsyder — Aaron Judge likely won’t be coming to The Bronx.
“I don’t see adding anyone who’s not on the 40-man,” Cashman said.
The Yankees would have to make room for Judge on the roster, but there’s no logical spot in the outfield for Judge, who took an 0-for-14 slump into Thursday night at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
One potential bright spot for the offense is Jacoby Ellsbury’s hip injury doesn’t appear to be serious.
An MRI exam showed a “muscle contusion,” according to Cashman, suffered when Ellsbury dove for a line drive in Tuesday’s loss.
The center fielder is expected to be able to play Friday.
Bryan Mitchell, who has been out since taking a line drive off his face against Minnesota on August 17, will be back Friday, according to Cashman, in the roster spot opened when Nick Goody was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Wednesday’s loss.
Carlos Beltran is one of the few players not in a funk. He’ll take a 10-game hitting streak to Atlanta. He also hit in 10 straight from Aug. 4-15 before going hitless on August 16. In his last 21 games, Beltran is 23-for-68 (.338), with 11 runs, seven doubles, five homers, 10 walks and 14 RBIs.