Ryan McMahon's Hot Streak: Has Yankees' 3B Turned Things Around? Or Will History Repeat Itself?

It's no secret that Ryan McMahon has been a consistent source of frustration among Yankees fans throughout the 2026 MLB season. Hell, those frustrations date back to last season, when he was acquired from the Rockies and failed to look like the version of himself who was once an MLB All-Star.

Through 53 games (149 at-bats) so far, McMahon is slashing .208/.267/.356 with six home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 walks and a minus-0.1 WAR. His 31.5% strikeout rate is among his worst, as well as above the MLB average (22.5%). That's without mentioning that his 89.8 mph average exit velocity is his worst since 2018 (89.7 mph).

McMahon's poor performance this year made him an obvious replacement candidate, which seemed even truer once the Yankees gave Amed Rosario a whirl at third base earlier this week. The Yankees didn't have much time to evaluate Rosario after that, though, as they placed him on the paternity list on Saturday night, meaning he could miss up to three games.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees placed INF/OF Amed Rosario on the paternity list.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 31, 2026

Rosario hasn't played at all in the ongoing series vs. the Athletics, and McMahon has capitalized on his teammate's absence. But is the 31-year-old third baseman's recent turnaround legitimate? Or will history repeat itself in the form of another slump?

Ryan McMahon has a lot to prove despite recently improved performance

It's a small sample size, but McMahon's bat has been more productive lately than it has been in a while. Dating back to the May 19 clash with the rival Blue Jays, McMahon has nine hits, three home runs, six RBIs and a stolen base with a .310/.310/.655 slash line in his last eight games (29 ABs). Two of those round-trippers came in his last three games before Sunday's finale vs. the Athletics.

For reference, he was slashing .208/.240/.333 with only one HR in 16 games (48 ABs) in May before that turnaround.

Ryan McMahon (6)

Opponent: Oakland Athletics
Pitcher: Joel Kuhnel
Date: 05/29/2026 pic.twitter.com/vG7YofrdOC
— Yankees Home Runs (@NYY_HR) May 30, 2026

As great as it is to see McMahon not being as much of an automatic out lately, there's still reason to be cautious.

For starters, the former All-Star still has a 34% strikeout rate with an 85.9 mph average exit velocity in his last eight games, according to Baseball Savant. He also drew zero walks during that stretch, as his last came against the Rangers on May 7. In fact, he only has two walks in his last 33 outings.

A familiar feeling

Yankees fans have also been fooled into thinking that McMahon has turned the page before. The Yorba Linda, CA native went on a heater from April 24 to May 7, when he batted .317 with a .812 OPS, one HR, seven RBIs and a pair of walks in 12 games (41 ABs)—a stretch where New York went 9-3 as a team.

Unfortunately, it was downhill after that, as McMahon registered only one hit and nine strikeouts in the nine games after that.

Ryan McMahon runs after a hit. — The Yankees would be thrilled if Ryan McMahon finally put an end to his back-and-forth ways. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

In other words, Yankees fans shouldn't blindly accept that the McMahon of old is back. He still has a long way to go to erase any lingering doubts, especially when he's benefited from playing against sub-.500 clubs like the Royals and A's this week. Let's see how he does against the American League Central-leading Guardians (34-26), whom the Yankees will face six times in nine games beginning on Tuesday.

With a $16 million annual salary to live up to, McMahon must be more consistent to be worth every penny of his deal. Getting hot for a few weeks before cooling off for just as long won't cut it, especially with the Yankees aiming for World Series glory. Extending his hot streak will be one way to clear his name, as New York needs reliability and consistency at third base above all else.

Otherwise, it's time for general manager Brian Cashman to seriously consider replacing McMahon, whether the solution comes from within or outside the Yankees' roster.

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