Ryan McMahon's Improved Play Solves a Lot of Problems for the Yankees Down the Line

Ryan McMahon is on a bit of a heater and the New York Yankees are probably hoping he figured something out.

Ryan McMahon's performance has turned around at the perfect time for the Yankees. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Ryan McMahon was a concern among Yankees fans for the first month of the 2026 MLB season.

It's wild to think, but it took until May before McMahon even recorded a double. Now he seems to be making up for lost time, collecting extra base hits at a rate that felt impossible at the beginning of the year. Only time will tell if this lasts, but if McMahon starts playing well, the Yankees have fewer decisions to make this summer, and he can keep his job at third.

McMahon's hot streak started off quietly.

It began in Boston in the second game of that series at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. He had one plate appearance that game and recorded a single after replacing Randal Grichuk. Since then, he's slashing .325/.325/.525 with a 135 wRC+. He has two homers, seven RBI, and two doubles. Suddenly, he looks worth every penny of the $16 million he's earning this season.

The Yankees need Ryan McMahon's recent improvement to last throughout the season. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Those doubles have been coming in bunches, too. The former MLB All-Star had one in the second game of that Orioles series, where the Yankees may have dug an early grave for their American League East rivals. Then, in that third game, McMahon went 3-for-4 and again had himself another double.

Performance vs. Jacob deGrom proves Ryan McMahon is back

What may have solidified that McMahon was on a hot streak was his at-bat against Jacob deGrom.

A two-time Cy Young winner, deGrom, whose New York roots are practically mythic around these parts, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for years. Considering that McMahon has a propensity to swing and miss, you never could have guessed that he was the one who was going to have that Paul O'Neill-esque grind of an at-bat.

Great at-bat from McMahon against deGrom.

He went down 0-2 swinging at two nasty changeups.

Then was able to foul a bunch off and stay alive. deGrom switches to his third pitch, curveball (hadnt been hit for an XBH hit yet this season), and McMahon turns on it. pic.twitter.com/589Y7buTyx

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) May 6, 2026

What's even more remarkable about the deGrom at-bat was that McMahon started it 0-for-2. He had back-to-back whiffs on his changeup. McMahon then fouled off another changeup. He laid off a wicked slider in the dirt, then laid off a changeup. Once deGrom threw a changeup for the sixth pitch of the at-bat, it was clear that McMahon was beginning to time it up.

The damage finally came after deGrom threw too many of the same pitch. A month ago, the results would have been different, but now, it seems like McMahon is just seeing the ball better. He took that final changeup deep after starting that battle 0-2.

Can McMahon keep his job?

McMahon may not be hitting over .300 with an OPS north of .800 for an extended period of time. Still, if he gives anything that resembles a consistent bat, the Yankees can put any ideas of looking on the open market for infield help, or even jettisoning their young shortstop George Lombard Jr. to the majors, to rest.

Thrusting a 20-year-old into a pennant race could be a lot for a young player, but if the Yankees like someone, they have had no qualms in recent years about fast-tracking them up to the big leagues.

Ben Rice had 138 plate appearances in Triple-A. Anthony Volpe had 119. Then, last year, Cam Schlittler logged 25.1 innings and pitched to the tune of a 4.97 ERA in the minors before the Yankees promoted him.

Ben Rice is proof that the Yankees will promote someone quickly if they like them enough. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the case of Schlittler, they really liked the player, and considering the rotation was in a state of flux last year, the Yankees had no scruples bringing him up when they did. If McMahon continued to give nothing the way he had to start the year, there was a chance that he could have been replaced by the 20-year-old at some point.

There's still a chance that could happen, but if McMahon is doing the kind of damage he did against one of the greats in the league, Lombard will have to wait for another position to open up. That's far from a bad problem for the Yankees to have.

As far as trades go, the Yankees should shore up that bullpen come the deadline. There isn't a reason why they should even go out on the open market and offload prospects for anything other than the pen. That will be easier to accomplish since they likely won't have to spend time looking for a 3B upgrade now that McMahon has turned his season around.