New York Yankees' Utility Man Heating Up At The Plate
With superstar outfielder Aaron Judge out indefinitely with torn ligaments in his toe, the New York Yankees need all of the help they can get on offense.
Luckily, one unlikely suspect has been stepping up as of late.
Super utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been on fire at the plate recently, which has helped his team rip off seven wins in their last 10 games.
In his last seven games, Kiner-Falefa is 10-for-24 (.417) with a .484 on-base percentage and .625 slugging percentage. Over the course of the past 15 games, he is slashing .333/.391/.538, and in his last 30 contests he is hitting .322/.357/.433 with two home runs and 17 RBI.
Kiner-Falefa has helped aid a Yankee offense that has been without Judge since June 4 after he smashed through the right field fence at Dodger Stadium to make an amazing catch.
Overall, Kiner-Falefa is slashing .262/.308/.393 with a .701 OPS, five home runs and 23 RBI on the season.
In addition to his contributions at the plate, Kiner-Falefa also provides value defensively, as he has the ability to play third base, shortstop, left field and center field.
And due to the struggles of Josh Donaldson (.131 batting average), Kiner-Falefa could potentially see more time at the hot corner in the near future if he keeps up this hitting.
The Yankees don't know when Judge is coming back, and in order for the team to survive they're going to need help from a number of players including Kiner-Falefa.
The Yankees entered play on Wednesday night with a record of 48-38. Although they're eight games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, they're tied for the final two Wild Card spots with the Houston Astros.
