Apr 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees infielder Amed Rosario (14) reacts to a pitch during the sixth inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Pablo Robles-Imagn Images

The Yankees Should Find Some New Torpedo Bats

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Apr 11, 2026 9:30 AM ET

This time last year, the New York Yankees had the league in a frenzy. They shelled Nestor Cortes for eight earned runs and five homers. The first inning against him was a full-on blitz for a pitcher who, a few months earlier, authored one of the more heartbreaking endings in recent team history.

To the world, the reason the Yankees were so good in 2025 was because of something called torpedo bats. The bat with a non-traditional barrel was approved by Major League Baseball and turned out to be a non-issue, even though it drew complaints from opposing teams. It's funny just how different a place the Yankees are in now than they were then.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

At this point last year, the Yankees were hitting .260 as a team. That was 4th in MLB. Their .841 OPS, 133 wRC+, and 26 homers were all first.

The team is relatively the same, but the offensive output is not. They're hitting .201 in 2026. That's 28th in baseball. Their .648 OPS is 22nd, and their 95 wRC+ is 19th. They also have 12 homers on the year. They are tied for 8th with the Mariners, Rays, Blue Jays, and Phillies.

Another Listless Loss

That game against the Rays could have easily gone the way that the one with the Athletics did the day before. The Yankees lost to Las Vegas 1-0, and were it not for Tampa's bad defense in the first inning, Ben Rice's pinch-hit blast could have easily been the lone run the Yankees scored that day as well.

Pinch-hit home run for Ben Rice! pic.twitter.com/kHnm9ptGVF
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 11, 2026

When asked about the team's offensive woes, Rice said the group as a whole wasn't worried. For him, it's still too early in the year to start panicking.

"I don't think there's any concern," Rice said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "We're so early in the year, and of course, we got off to a hot start as well. I think everyone is very calm here and understands there's a long road ahead. We've got the team that can take us to where we want to go."

Manager Aaron Boone shared similar sentiments. He says the power will return at some point.

“We’ve got to get some guys clicking and obviously get that big hit,” Boone said. “We’re not hitting a ton of long balls right now. It’s going to happen sometimes from the offense. They’ll get it rolling, and some people will pay the price.”

The bottom of the lineup has especially been a non-factor for the Yankees. 5 through 9 in the order are all below a 100 wRC+.

Jose Caballero, in particular, is teetering on being one of the worst hitters of 2026 so far. He has a 1 wRC+. It's hard to be worse than that.

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This article first appeared on New York Yankees on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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