As I’m sure you know by now, John Sterling passed away Monday morning. He was 87. Sterling was the soundtrack to so many summers when I was younger. When I was a kid, I would lay in bed at night and listen to the last few innings on my yellow walkman, waiting to hear THAAAAAAA YANKEES WIN! When I was older, I’d sneak it in at the office during my old 9-5 days.
Sterling was colorful, quirky, a showman, and truly one of a kind. He was an entertainer as much as a broadcaster. He never became a crank who yearned for the good old days. He was a homer when times were good and he called the Yankees out on their shit when it needed to be said. BERN BABY BERN is my all-time favorite Sterling home run call, and nothing hit harder than a good HOWDYA LIKE THAT!
Like a lot of fans my age, I went through an anti-Sterling phase, then I realized I loved him and we were lucky to have him. It’s a shame the Yankees didn’t honor him with a plaque in Monument Park while he was around to enjoy it, and that he was passed him over for the Ford C. Frick Award earlier this year. Sterling’s Hall of Fame speech would’ve been delightful. He was unapologetically himself.
“He’s the only person I’ve ever met who did everything he ever wanted to do in his life, ever. There's nothing that he didn't do,” Suzyn Waldman told Brendan Kuty (subs. req’d). “He's proudest of his children who took care of him during this. Don't forget, he was not with his wife, and those children adored him. He was so proud of them. That was his biggest accomplishment and he would want everyone to know that.
“But I think this man lived life to the fullest. It should be a celebration, not a mourning. I mean, who lives their life like that and is able to accomplish everything from the time he was six years old? This is what he wanted to do and he did it, and for a very long time. Better than anybody.”
Rest in peace to the voice of a dynasty and an indelible part of my fandom. Here is the tribute video the Yankees played prior to Monday’s game. The players had “JS” on the back of their caps and I would think a black armband or jersey patch is coming. I know Sterling had been retired for a few years, but it won’t be the same without him. He wasn’t perfect, but he was one of us. Let's get to today’s post.
1. Weekend thoughts. On June 20th, 2024, the Orioles blew the Yankees out 17-5 in the Bronx, and O’s POBO Mike Elias later said “we were on top of the sport in almost every facet” that month. That win improved the Orioles to 49-25. They went 42-46 the rest of the season and 75-87 last season, and they’re 15-20 this year after getting swept in the Bronx this weekend. This sport will humble you quick.
“It just feels like guys are in a good place and we have a lot of ways to beat you,” Aaron Boone told Dan Martin after Sunday’s win. “I like the fact guys are doing the little things. To win in different ways is nice.”
A proper belt-to-assing this past weekend was. The Yankees outscored the Orioles 39-10 in the four games and never trailed at any point. Hell, they led after 33 of the 36 innings (it was tied after the other three). The Yankees are 16-7 against the O’s since that 17-5 loss. That was the most fun series of what has been a very fun start to the season. The AL run differential leaderboard remains comical:
1. Yankees: +762. Tigers: +17
The Tigers just lost Tarik Skubal to elbow surgery (loose bodies, not UCL) and while the Rays could have one of those annoying seasons, I don’t buy them yet. They’re close win merchants (11-3 in games decided by two or fewer runs) and that’s usually not something you can count on all season. The Mariners can’t seem to get out of their own way. The Blue Jays still scare me most in the AL, but they’re banged up.
It is a long season and at some point the Yankees will lose five straight and seven of eight, something like that. They sure do look good though, don’t they? Turns out “bring back the same team that won 94 games last year except that one reliever who kept blowing games” was a sound team-building strategy. A+ vibes right now. Here are a few thoughts on the O’s series.
Jasson’s big day
Jasson Domínguez escaped last week’s pitch to the elbow with just a bruise. There’s no fracture and he has since returned to the lineup, and it doesn’t seem like the elbow is hampering him at all. Domínguez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a homer Sunday (video). He homered from the left side and doubled from the right side in the eighth inning. An extra-base hit from each side of the plate in the same inning!
“When you play a good game like that and you win, it’s always awesome,” Domínguez told Bill Ladson after Sunday’s game. “Every time you get a base hit, anything good, the confidence is up.”
The great Katie Sharp tells me Domínguez is the first player with an extra-base hit from each side of the plate in one inning since Pedro Florimón on May 8, 2013. Usually it’s a bad thing when you’re the first guy to do something since Pedro Florimón, but not in this case. Two other Yankees had extra-base hit from both side of the plate in one inning: Melky Cabrera on June 14th, 2009, and Jorge Posada on Aug. 2nd, 2007 and Aug. 6th, 2009. No Mickey Mantle, eh? I guess they let pitchers wear big innings more often in those days.
Anyway, Domínguez is 6-for-22 (.273) with those two doubles and that homer since being recalled. That includes 3-for-6 with two doubles vs. lefties. In Triple-A, he was 10-for-23 (.435) with five doubles and a homer vs. lefties, so, all told, Domínguez is 13-for-29 (.448) with seven doubles and a homer against lefties this season. Jasson did change his toe tap vs. lefties in Spring Training. Maybe that unlocked something?
I am nowhere near ready to say Domínguez has figured out lefties. Bad players have 29 great at-bats all the time (and vice versa), but starting this well against lefties is certainly preferable to starting poorly. It sounds like Giancarlo Stanton is at least a few more days away, and all signs point to Domínguez being in the everyday lineup until then. Good. He should be. If nothing else, Jasson had a great day Sunday.
(Aaron Boone said Aaron Judge will get a DH day soon. My guess is it will be Thursday’s day game after Wednesday’s night game. Whenever it happens, Domínguez will presumably play the outfield.)
Judge and ABS
Aaron Judge has to start challenging more pitches. This is getting ridiculous. He’s 3-for-4 this season and the 4 is the important number there. Four challenges in 35 games. Going into Monday’s game, Judge had 13 pitches out of the zone called strikes this year, the 14th most in baseball. The opportunities have been there, like this 2-2 curveball Sunday that Statcast says was comfortably outside the strike zone:
Ultimately it didn’t matter because the Yankees blew the game open an inning later, but the Yankees had a one-run lead with one out in the seventh inning at the time. If Judge challenges, the strikeout becomes a 3-2 count, and who knows what happens next? I understand you can’t challenge every borderline pitch, but the leverage was reasonably high there. That was worth a shot and Judge didn’t take it.
The Statcast folks cooked up what I’ll call reasonable challenge rate, and they say a reasonable challenge opportunity “occurs when at least one of the following is true: The original call was incorrect; the pitch is within 3 inches of the strike zone edge and an overturn would gain at least 0.3 runs; the pitch carries an expected challenge rate of at least 20%.” It amounts to a reasonable time to challenge, basically.
Judge has an 11% reasonable challenge rate, which is 247th among the 318 hitters who have challenged a pitch this season. The MLB average is around 20%. Judge is making reasonable challenges half as often as the league average. I don’t know if he’s not comfortable with ABS yet, or maybe he thinks he’s so good that he’ll get his even without ABS, or something else entirely, but Judge isn’t challenging enough.
If anything, I would be okay with Judge going full José Caballero/Jazz Chisholm Jr. and challenging too much. Okay, maybe that’s going too far, but if Judge takes more shots and is wrong, I’ll live with it. He’s simply too good of a hitter to be this timid with ABS. There are strikes out there waiting to be turned into balls. Hopefully this is just an early season thing and Judge gets more comfortable with ABS soon.
(The O’s did not challenge a would-be strike three to Judge in the first inning Monday, then he hit a two-run homer. Michael Kay did John Sterling’s home run call. It was very sweet.)
Warren’s lefty solution
Another ho-hum very good start from the increasingly excellent Will Warren on Friday: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 HR on 94 pitches (video). He had three 9+ strikeout starts last year and has two already this year. Seven starts into 2026, Warren has a 2.39 ERA (2.80 FIP and 3.41 xERA) with 30.3 K%, 5.3 BB%, 47.4 GB%. Even if he regresses back to that xERA, I’d take it all year long. Warren’s been great.
Last year, lefties were Warren’s biggest problem. They tagged him for a .266/.350/.436 (.342 wOBA) line with 19.9 K% and 11.9 BB%. This year that’s down to .208/.260/.347 (.272 wOBA) with 32.5 K% and 6.5 BB%. The Orioles had five lefties/switch-hitters in the lineup and those five guys went 1-for-13 with five strikeouts against Warren. The one hit was a single by the last batter he faced (Samuel Basallo).
Warren has pulled back on his curveball and doubled his sinker usage against lefties this year, and he’s locating the sinker on the inner half of the plate more often. Here are his sinker locations vs. lefties:
This is a completely different look for a left-handed batter. Last year they saw a pitcher throwing from the first base side of the rubber and locating his sinker away. This year they see a pitcher releasing the ball from the third base side and coming in with the sinker. The release point is further away from the lefty hitter but the pitch is more inside. There’s a crossfire action now. It’s a tough look.
“(Warren) made an adjustment this year where he’s all the way over on the third base side, so he creates that angle, especially with that sweeper and then the sinker,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz told Ladson after the game. “It was a little bit tough for our guys to calibrate."
The strikeout and walk rates are much improved vs. lefties and so are the contact quality numbers (.451 xSLG in 2025 vs. .407 xSLG in 2026). The shift on the pitching rubber and change in pitch usage/location are tangible releases to buy into the improvement. Maybe Warren isn’t .272 wOBA vs. lefties good all year (that’s a high bar), but this seems legit. Nothing but positive signs from Warren in 2026.
"Another year under my belt. You learn a lot out there," Warren told Phillip Martinez. "Talk about it in here all you want, but it’s about getting your feet wet and learning as the game goes along. Have a solid staff to ask questions and learn from, it’s a mix of that."
(Another Warren note: Austin Wells caught him Friday. The Warren/J.C. Escarra pairing might not actually be a thing.)
Hill’s new slider
Honest day’s work for Tim Hill on Saturday. The only batter he faced, Gunnar Henderson, rolled over on a sinker to second base on the first pitch. One batter, one pitch, one out. Hitters are 0-for-9 with two double plays when they put the first pitch of the at-bat in play against Hill. Overall, Hill has a 1.29 ERA (3.65 FIP) with a 12.5 K% and a career high 82.5 GB%. He is a man of extremes.
While the 88 mph sinker remains Hill’s go-to pitch (he throws it 80% of the time), he has added something new this year. Specifically, he’s throwing a slider for the first time in several years, and it’s a really fun look because Hill throws almost exclusively up in the zone to righties. It’s a “rising” slider:
Hill told Gary Phillips he’s been trying to find a reliable slider for several years and finally found one he’s comfortable with late last year. He spoke to fellow submariner Tyler Rogers about his slider a few years ago, then the two reconnected in the Team USA bullpen at the World Baseball Classic this spring. Rogers did not teach Hill his slider as much as he pointed him in the right direction.
“(Rogers) has that upshoot slider that is really good. It’s probably the best of anybody that throws the way we do. So I wanted to pick his brain on it,” Hill told Phillips. “I’m always working on something, trying to bring something in. But the slider last year, towards the end, I found something that I actually liked, so I just kept going with it.”
Hill has given up a home run on the slider and to be sure, the sinker will always be his bread and butter. If nothing else, the slider gives him something else to use against righties, who hit him pretty hard last year (.508 SLG). It’s something to change eye levels, really. To get righties off the sinker. I wouldn’t call the slider a game-changer for Hill. It’s just a new wrinkle the 36-year-old cooked up as he tries to remain effective.
More on Volpe’s demotion
I did not realize this at the time, but the Yankees demoted Anthony Volpe to Triple-A one year to the day after he dove for a ball and landed awkwardly on his shoulder, and tore his labrum. Rather than spend the one-year anniversary celebrating the return from the surgery to treat that injury, Volpe was sent to Scranton. That’s tough. I’d say poor guy, but he’s making $3.475M this year and I’m not.
Anyway, Aaron Boone spoke about Volpe’s demotion prior to Monday’s game. He acknowledged the original plan had Volpe returning as the starting shortstop, but José Caballero’s play changed the calculus. Also, Volpe will play shortstop full-time in Scranton with George Lombard Jr. moving around. That could change at some point though. The Yankees will discuss it in the coming days.
“(The demotion) doesn’t change how we feel about Anthony, the kinda player we think he is and will be. But at this moment in time, we felt like this was absolutely the right thing to do,” Boone said (video). “… Right now, I think is the right choice for us. I think it’s the right thing to do even for Anthony.”
Boone said Volpe took the news like a pro. He’s allowed to be disappointed, but it can’t be more than that. Follow the Jasson Domínguez model. When Dominguez got sent to Triple-A a few weeks ago, he said his piece – “When you drive a Lamborghini, you don't want to go back to a Corolla” – and then went down and mashed. Don’t sulk. Use it as an opportunity to get better.
We’ll see Volpe at some point this season the same way we wound up seeing Domínguez, who went from Triple-A to hitting cleanup in a week’s time. Caballero will cool down, someone will get hurt, whatever. A door will open for Volpe. When it does, it will be on Volpe to be ready. Ready to help the Yankees win, ready to win his job back, ready to do whatever is needed. It’s a setback, not the end of his time as a Yankee.
“That was tough. Anthony’s my guy. I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever to come back here, ” Aaron Judge told Chelsea Janes about Volpe’s demotion. “… If there’s a way to find – if it’s even him as a utility guy, anything – just to get himself back up here because besides what he can do on the field, he’s a big part of this clubhouse, of this dugout.”
Miscellany
Cam Schlittler had his FU fastball Monday night. His four-seamer averaged 99.6 mph and he threw his 18 fastest pitches of the season. The Orioles went into the game with the fifth highest xSLG and seventh highest xwOBA against pitches 95+ mph though, and they pressured Schlittler almost every inning: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K on 95 pitches. That qualifies as a “bad” start for Cam … Weird start for Ryan Weathers on Saturday: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR on 90 pitches (video). Walked the leadoff guy twice, some sloppy defense behind him, and Jake Bird allowed two inherited runners to score. In theory, Weathers and Will Warren are competing for one rotation spot with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón on the way back. That’s what we in the business call a good problem to have … Aaron Judge went 6-for-14 with two homers and six walks (.600 OBP) against the Orioles, and also made several splendid plays in the field. Two leaping catches at the wall and a heads up play to throw behind the runner to steal an out on an RBI single (video). He’s at +2 DRS in the early going after being +3 DRS all last year … Four hits, including two homers, for Cody Bellinger on Saturday (video). Even this early in the season, his home/road splits are about as extreme as you’ll ever see:
Home: .339/.438/.746 (224 wRC+) with 5 HR, 16.4 BB%, 8.2 K% in 73 PA
Road: .215/.297/.262 (60 wRC+) with 0 HR, 10.8 BB%, 18.9 K% in 74 PA
Bellinger definitely picked the right ballpark for his skill set, not that he needed much convincing when the Yankees put $162.5M on the table … I complained about Trent Grisham on Friday and then he went 5-for-15 with four doubles, a homer, three walks, and one strikeout against the Orioles. Several hard-hit outs too. I vow to only use my jinxing powers for good … Max Fried continued to pitch exclusively out of the stretch and continued to fight his command Saturday: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K on 106 pitches (video). Fried has a 2.39 ERA (2.73 FIP and 2.32 xERA) this season, though it has felt like he’s had to grind through outings more than he did last year … Ryan Yarbrough hasn’t pitched since last Sunday in Houston, and I don’t remember seeing him warm up since then. Paul Blackburn, the other long guy, has pitched twice since Yarbrough’s last appearance. Maybe Yarbrough’s nursing something? Kinda feels like the Yankees are playing with a seven-man bullpen these days … And finally, I couldn't help but laugh when Grisham lost a ball in the sun behind David Bednar on Sunday (video). Even in a blowout, the Yankees refuse to play a clean defensive inning behind Bednar. The Yankees are at -6 OAA behind him and +7 OAA behind all other pitchers.
Injury updates and roster moves
Ben Rice (hand) is day-to-day after leaving Sunday’s game with a contusion. He awkwardly caught a pickoff throw at first base (video) and x-rays came back negative, but he said he’s sore and can’t grip the bat comfortably to get off his best swings before Monday's game. He’s getting treatment. The Yankees scored 12 runs without him Monday, but it goes without saying losing Rice for anything more than a few days would be a massive loss … Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodón (elbow, hamstring) will both make rehab starts today. Rodón will pitch with Scranton and Cole is going to Hudson Valley. It will be normal rest for Rodón (extra rest for Cole), who could make another rehab start after this one. They’ll figure out the next step after tonight’s start … Giancarlo Stanton (calf) started hitting a few days ago but has yet to run. Running is usually the last step for his rehabs. When he starts doing that, we’ll know he'll close … And finally, we can officially close the book on the Randal Grichuk era. He cleared release waivers over the weekend and signed with the White Sox on Monday. The Yankees will see the White Sox next month. The odds Grichuk gets a big hit that series is annoyingly high. It’s what he does.
Up next
Another series with the Rangers, who the Yankees just saw last week. Here’s the schedule between now and Friday’s post:
Tuesday vs. Rangers: RHP Elmer Rodríguez vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (7pm ET on YES)
Wednesday vs. Rangers: RHP Will Warren vs. RHP Nate Eovaldi (7pm ET on Amazon, MLBN)
Thursday vs. Rangers: LHP Ryan Weathers vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore (12:35pm ET on YES)
After last week’s series with the Yankees, the Rangers went to Detroit and dropped two of three. They’re 16-18 with a -1 run differential, and rank 24th in position player WAR and 11th in pitcher WAR. The perfect AL team, basically. It’s the Yankees and then a lotta mediocrity.
2. 2026 draft prospect: Tennessee RHP Tegan Kuhns. The 2026 MLB Draft will take place the weekend before the All-Star break and the Yankees hold the No. 35 pick. As I do every year, I’ll preview prospects the Yankees are said to have interest in, players who fit the team’s M.O., and players I like for whatever reason. Here are the draft prospects I’ve already covered.
Kuhns, 21 later this month, was a top 100-ish prospect out of his Pennsylvania high school in 2024, but he was so committed to Tennessee that he reportedly turned down seven-figure bonus offers. He began his freshman year in the bullpen, moved into the rotation a few weeks later, and has stayed there since. Kuhns was the Volunteers’ Opening Day starter this year. Here are the latest draft rankings:
Baseball America (subs. req’d): No. 34
ESPN: No. 77
FanGraphs: Not ranked in top 40
Keith Law (subs. req’d): No. 29
MLB Pipeline: No. 43
In 65 innings this spring Kuhns has a 3.46 ERA (3.61 FIP) with 29.4 K% and 4.4 BB%. Also, he was excellent against top competition in the Cape Cod League last summer, striking out 20 and walking one in 13.1 innings. Here’s video and here’s part of MLB Pipeline’s free scouting report:
Kuhns spins the ball very well, producing good carry on a fastball that parks at 93-96 mph and peaks at 98 and downer break on an upper-70s curveball. Both are plus offerings and they can become more formidable if they add more power as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-3 frame. He has struggled to find a reliable third pitch, scrapping his upper-80s cutter while still struggling to land his mid-80s changeup or low-80s slider for strikes … Kuhns has the ingredients to pitch in the front half of a rotation. He's doing a better of job of repeating his athletic delivery as he gets stronger, which also could help him develop a more dependable third option.
Despite this year’s 4.4 BB%, Kuhns has a history of less than stellar control, and also getting hit around by lefties. The consensus seems to be that it’s first round stuff and third/fourth round everything else. Ben Hess two years ago is the only pitcher the Yankees have taken with their top pick in the last eight drafts. Kuhns would be against the grain pick in that sense, but not an out-of-place one.
(Send your questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for if/when it returns.)