With less than a month left in the regular season, the Yankees are still trying to figure out whether they're the powerhouse team that went 50-22 on June 14, or the mediocre team that has gone 28-34 since then.
The final stretch begins with a three-game home series against the Cardinals on Friday, but Anthony Rizzo is expected to return soon from a broken forearm that coincided with the Yankees' poor performance.
While he wasn't expected to return to the Yankees this weekend, Rizzo's progression from DH to first base has been quicker than expected, and he has played his past two rehab games at first base for Double-A Somerset.
Overall, the Yankees have gotten very little out of the first base position, with both DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice struggling in Rizzo's absence.
Only the Mariners have a worse first baseman OPS than the Yankees this season.
Still, even if Rizzo hits his peak, it won't necessarily solve all of the Yankees' problems.
The Yankees have posted winning percentages around .500 in every other month except for a 21-7 month in May, and have struggled to produce consistent production from both their starting and relief pitchers.
By June 14, the Yankees had the most runs scored in the major leagues and the best OPS in the American League.
Those numbers have dropped, but they remain seventh in runs scored and fifth in OPS since that day.
The pitching staff has seen an even bigger decline, falling from the best ERA in the major leagues, including the starting rotation, to 26th since June 14th, with the starting rotation having the fourth-worst ERA in the sport.
The potential returns of Clark Schmidt (back strain) and Luis Gil (back strain) should benefit the rotation, with both players scheduled to return early next month after completing rehab assignments.
But overall, there has been some improvement from the starting pitching, which had a 2.73 ERA in the team's 17 games before Carlos Rodon's poor performance on Wednesday at Washington.
Bullpens are more complicated and have more moving parts.
Scott Efros, a key player acquired from the Cubs at the 2022 trade deadline, is healthy but hasn't proven himself in the minor leagues enough to merit a move to the Bronx.
That may change in September.
Additionally, Ian Hamilton, Lou Trivino and Nick Burdy could all join the relief corps once they recover from injuries and are back to full fitness.
Mark Leiter Jr. has had a terrible season over his past seven appearances, allowing seven earned runs and four home runs in 5 1/3 innings, so the Yankees have turned to Tim Maza and Phil Bickford in relief.
The expanded rosters will also look different on Sunday, with the addition of another position player and pitcher.
And the Yankees will play the 10th-toughest schedule and the third-toughest in the American League starting Friday with their remaining games, according to Tankathon.com.
The team they're trying to hold off in the division, Baltimore, faces the third-easiest schedule between now and the end of the regular season.
