Yankees Dangerously Close to Losing Wild Card Spot

The New York Yankees are going to have to step it up to secure a spot in the MLB playoffs, and the rest of August has to be near flawless for them to have any hopes of regaining their once-dominant reign over the American League.

As it stands now, the Yankees have the third wild card spot, behind the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox, with a 62-56 record in 2025. However, the next-best Cleveland Guardians have a 61-56 record, dangerously close to supplanting the Yankees' position in the playoffs.

At one point this season, if fans can believe it, the Yankees were the top dog in the AL East, with a seven-game lead. Now, that spot belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays, with a record of 69-50 and a firm position in the post-season. The other AL teams leading their divisions are the Detroit Tigers in the central division and Houston Astros in the west. The AL is the comparatively weaker league thus far, with NL leading Milwaukee Brewers boasting the best record in the MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies (NL central) and Los Angeles Dodgers (NL west) not too far behind.

To get back into fighting shape, the Pinstripes will have to figure out issues on both sides of the ball. While their bullpen has gotten stronger, particularly due to the addition of former Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar, the starting rotation has been struggling. Max Fried, who was one of the Yankees' best at the beginning of the season, is now throwing a 6.00 ERA in his last seven games. Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole both needed Tommy John Surgery and won't see action until 2026, and Luis Gil's first game back from a rehab assignment was a tough one.

Then, there's the errors. Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe leads the league with 16 errors this season, and the team has faced embarrassing clips of missed throws, confusion as to how many outs there were in an inning and other borderline-kooky mishaps.

Apr 22, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) misplays a ground ball for an error in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Finally, the Yankees' normally dominant offense is showing some inconsistencies. Slugger and captain Aaron Judge is not quite back to himself after a visit to the 10-day IL. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was red hot for awhile after his own return from injury, but has cooled down. These are just two of countless examples of New York's offensive difficulties. Despite having some of the best offensive stats in the league, the Yankees are just unable to get things done and win games consistently.

The rest of the month will prove to be pivotal for the Pinstripes, who need to marry offensive dominance with pitching consistency to see any results and make a real run at the 2025 post-season.

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