Have the Yankees avoided the June swoon?

Since Aaron Boone took over as manager for the New York Yankees, they have upheld a 740-524 record (.585 win%). Since 2018, in June, Boone and the Yankees have a 114-81 record (.585 win%). 

On paper, it's no change at all from the status quo. Despite that, in the 2023-2025 seasons, the Yankees have only managed a 38-39 record in June.

By June, the Yankees have usually gotten out to a solid head start before a slow month of June allows teams to catch up in the standings. 

This June, the Yankees have gotten out to a better start than in years past. Through the first 16 days and 11 games, the Yankees have a 7-4 record. After dropping the first two games of the month to the Cleveland Guardians, the Yankees have been riding a 7-2 stretch. 

At this point, is it safe to say the Yankees have avoided their usual June swoon?

Have the Yankees avoided the June swoon?

The injury bug

What usually drags the Yankees down at this point of the year is injuries. Through 70 games in 2026, the Yankees have dealt with their share of injuries. 

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham, Austin Wells, Max Fried, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil are all currently on the IL. 

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Jose Caballero, Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez are all active now, but have missed time this season. 

Eleven key contributors have missed some sort of time, but it hasn't affected the Yankees' AL-best 43-27 record. That's because of two major factors.

Veteran leadership

It took the Yankees until late this offseason, but in mid-February, Paul Goldschmidt re-signed with the team. Last year, Goldschmidt did well, hitting .274 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI. 

In his age-38 season, Goldschmidt is playing as well as he did during his 2022 MVP season. The veteran is hitting .295 with a .366 OBP and nine home runs and 31 RBI.

Goldschmidt's increased playing time is a result of the injury to Stanton. Initially, Goldschmidt was intended to relieve his playing time to young slugger Ben Rice, but with injuries, Goldschmidt has had a more consistent role. 

In June, Goldschmidt has been batting .378 and is slugging at .622. He has an OPS of 1.018, and his 12 RBI lead the team in that span. 

Even when Stanton returns and Goldschmidt sees fewer opportunities, he should still see at-bats against lefties. This season against southpaws, Goldschmidt is hitting .417 with an OBP of .514 and slugging .783. 

The back end

Through the majority of this season, it has been the Yankees' rotation carrying this pitching staff. Their 3.28 ERA is first in the AL, trailing only the Dodgers (3.11). 

In June, the rotation has hit a rough patch, pitching to a 5.05 ERA over 57 innings. 

On the season, the Yankees' bullpen ERA of 3.38 is tied for fifth with the New York Mets. But their team's 12 blown saves is tied with the Chicago White Sox for sixth in the AL. 

Since June 2, the Yankees' pen has been lights out. Through 39 innings, the bullpen has only allowed 10 runs for a 2.31 ERA. If you take away the first loss of the month, it's a 1.57 ERA with three-for-three on save attempts. 

With the injured players the Yankees currently have, the rest of the roster needs to keep the ship afloat until they can return. But as of late, this roster has been doing more than just staying afloat.