Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees’ All-Star Breaks Silence on Team’s Ongoing Struggles

Yankees' slugger Juan Soto was honest about his team's current losing skid.

Grant Young

Jun 30, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) walks towards the dugout against the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 30, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) walks towards the dugout against the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Yankees are experiencing a brutal downward slide in the MLB season.

After holding an MLB-best 49-21 record on June 12, the Bronx Bombers are 6-16 in their last 22 games and are now three games behind the surging Baltimore Orioles in the AL East standings. A lack of offensive depth is the biggest problem Yankee fans are criticizing amidst this losing skid.

However, one Yankee who has exceeded his lofty expectations at the plate this season is Juan Soto. 

Soto (who was named an AL All-Star on Sunday) fielded questions about the Yankees’ persistent struggles after his team’s 3-0 defeat to the Boston Red Sox.

“I mean, it’s tough,” Soto said, per SNY. “Everybody is aware of what we’re going through. But I think the energy is still up, we’re still believing and grinding every day. We come in with the same energy. I think that’s really positive.”

After being traded to New York during the 2023 MLB offseason, the 25-year-old is hitting .294 with a .984 OPS. He leads MLB in walks (76) and on-base percentage (.430), while adding 21 home runs.  

When asked what it will take for the Yankees to break out of their slump, Soto said, “I think we just gotta keep playing good baseball, man. Our starter [Luis Gil] threw the ball great today. We just gotta score a couple runs for him. 

“But I think that we have everything we need. We’ve just gotta keep our chin up and come every day to grind."

The Yankees will try and return to their winning ways during a crucial divisional series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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