NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 04: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images)
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After the first dozen games of the season, the New York Yankees own the top spot in the American League East.
But though they enjoyed another strong pitching performance against the Athletics on Thursday, the team’s lack of offense resulted in a rare low-scoring loss.
“The A’s first 1-0 win over the Yankees since April 25, 1979,” Major League Baseball’s Sarah Langs pointed out after the game. “First at the Yankees since July 14, 1972.”
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There were plenty of surprisingly quiet bats on the Yankees side in the game, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger all going hitless. But as the Yankees’ collective offense suddenly hits some struggles, with just two runs in the last two games combined, third baseman Ryan McMahon is raising special concern.
“Early this season, he has struggled to provide even his usual levels of production,” SNY’s Chelsea Janes wrote. “He, like many of his teammates, went hitless in Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics. That leaves him 2 for his first 29 at-bats this year — and one of those hits was a seeing-eye single on Opening Day.”
In his 10-year big-league career, McMahon has always been a defense-first player, but he joined the Yankees at last year’s trade deadline with a .240/.323/.420 slash line. So far in this early season, his line is just .077/.273/.077.
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“As he swung, Aaron Judge ambled out of the dugout and leaned against the back of the cage, eyes locked on McMahon,” Janes added. “He stayed there for the next 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes popping out to start his now-iconic swing, using it to demonstrate the way he keeps his weight on his back leg and how his hands go from ready and waiting to heading toward the ball with no added motion. When McMahon hit the ball, Judge watched until it landed.”
And the three-time MVP offered McMahon a simple message, even as his slump at the plate grows worse.
“I’m telling you, man,” Judge told McMahon, per Janes. “You have great power to all fields.”
Though Judge would know what he’s talking about, that message might come as a bit of a surprise, given that McMahon has never reached 25 homers in a season in his career and has yet to log an extra base hit this season.
But with some encouragement from his superstar teammate about the potential to improve, McMahon could be nearing a turnaround soon.
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