Shorthanded and Scoring, the Yankees Have Quietly Turned a Corner

New York is 73-61, sitting in a playoff spot with 28 games left, and they just went 7-3 over their last ten while running out a lineup that has been missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for most of it. Eight players are on the injured list right now. The offense has still averaged nearly five runs a game over that stretch, up sharply from the 3.2 they were putting up in the prior three weeks. That's the kind of gap that doesn't happen by accident.

Ben Rice has been the engine. The All-Star first baseman has 18 home runs on the season, and with Stanton sidelined, he's been the lineup's primary power source. Cody Bellinger — also an All-Star this year — has quietly been one of the more reliable run producers in the order. Cam Schlittler, the third All-Star on the roster, continues to be the staff ace at 13-6 with a 2.09 ERA. The rotation behind him is functional if not deep, and Brent Headrick has been quietly excellent out of the bullpen all season.

The concern, if you're looking for one, is the next ten days rather than the last ten. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are both on the IL, which leaves the back of the rotation thin. Judge on the 60-day means he's not walking through that door anytime soon. The Yankees are 5.5 back in the AL East and holding a wild card spot — they can afford to tread water, but they can't afford to sink.

What this stretch shows is that the roster has enough depth to stay afloat without its two biggest bats. Whether it has enough to actually gain ground is a different question, and the schedule will answer it faster than any lineup card will.