The Yankees brought in Ryan McMahon last year primarily for his defensive skills, rather than his hitting.
Finding consistency in the third baseman’s batting performance has become a challenge.
Despite some adjustments to his swing during the offseason, McMahon struggled to find his rhythm, leading to missed opportunities at the plate and a noticeable drop in the power numbers the Yankees had hoped for.
While the top part of the lineup features strong hitters, McMahon is stuck in the lower half, along with Jose Caballero and Austin Wells.
On the recent West Coast trip, he had a few hits that were solid, including one during Saturday’s win over Miami, but nothing really came of it.
Finally, in a tough Sunday game where the Yankees lost to Miami, McMahon managed to get his first hit after going 0-for-22. He also drew a walk in the eighth, which slightly alleviated some of his performance woes.
However, these walks don’t completely counterbalance the struggles he’s been facing.
What’s particularly worrying for McMahon is his high strikeout rate.
Entering Sunday’s game, his whiff percentage had climbed to 40%, up from a career average of about 32.3%.
Interestingly, last season, he had the best batting average among players eligible to play.
Coach Boone mentioned some positive aspects of recent games but acknowledged that McMahon is indeed in a slump.
“I like the way he hits the ball to the left. His at-bats have improved compared to what I observed in Seattle where he seemed a bit lost,” Boone said. “I think his approach on certain fastballs was solid. Hopefully, he can build off that.”
Before the season, McMahon adjusted his stance to try to cut down on his strikeouts.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t yielded the desired results, and he seems to have lost some power as well.
“He’s kind of in between right now,” Boone commented. “While it’s good that he doesn’t want to chase bad pitches, he also needs to be aggressive. This is just the start of the season. He’s really talented and has the potential.”
The Yankees are looking at Amed Rosario to take on a utility role, but there’s no clear backup for Caballero at third base, especially with Anthony Volpe recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and Caballero playing shortstop regularly.
It’s telling that McMahon got a hit in his first at-bat of the season opener in San Francisco but has struggled to find his footing since.
Although the Yankees won eight of their first nine games leading up to Sunday’s loss, McMahon’s performance at the plate can’t be overlooked indefinitely.
