New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Aaron Boone's take on Yankees' Ryan McMahon doesn't add up

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Apr 9, 2026 12:39 PM ET

Despite being one of the hottest teams in the first stretch of the MLB season, the New York Yankees still have some issues to address.

That's especially the case with Ryan McMahon, who has struggled mightily at the plate through his first 10 games of the season. He's posted a brutal 0.077 batting average with a .350 OPS, raising questions about his true potential.

Ultimately, manager Aaron Boone had no choice but to roll with Amed Rosario at third base for the team's 10th game of the season. He made an immediate impact with two homers in a 5-3 win.

However, as much as McMahon has struggled, Boone refuses to give up on him. Following the game, he shut down the notion that he's not an MLB-caliber hitter.

Aaron Boone stands by Ryan McMahon despite benching

"I mean, Mac's a good major league hitter. It's 10 games in, okay? He's scuffling right now, but the reality is, the last 3 games, he's been on base 4 times too, with walks and hits and big at-bats," Boone said, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

Aaron Boone on Ryan McMahon:

"I mean, Mac's a good major league hitter. It's 10 games in, okay? He's scuffling right now, but the reality is, the last 3 games, he's been on base 4 times too with walks and hits and big at-bats.

"We want him to improve even who he's been…
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) April 9, 2026

However, as much as Boone wants to say otherwise, numbers just aren't by his side. McMahon hit just .208 with a .641 OPS in 54 games last season, so it might be more than just a slow start. Even so, Boone will continue to stand by him.

"We want him to improve even who he's been obviously in his career, and he's off to a slow start right now, but a number of our guys are as well. He'll get it rolling and trust that he will, especially against some of these good right-handed matchups," the manager added.

The Yankees are 8-3 for the season and boast one of the strongest pitching staffs in baseball, so McMahon's struggles haven't necessarily affected them much. However, Boone's teams tend to be streaky, and they can't afford to have him make the same mistake he made with Anthony Volpe. They should be under a ton of pressure to win after so many years of shortcomings, and they just can't be patient with players who may not be ready to contribute.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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