The Yankees are off to a sluggish start to the 2023 MLB season, failing to live up to expectations through the first few days of May. With fans growing increasingly frustrated, GM Brian Cashman addressed the media on Wednesday.
With New York currently dead last in the American League East, Cashman urged the fanbase to exercise patience, suggesting the rough first month of the season was nothing more than a blip on the radar.
“Don’t give up on us. That’s all I can tell you. Don’t count us out. Don’t give up on us. We’ve got a good group of people, player-wise, staff-wise, support staff-wise, it’s a championship caliber operation from that perspective,” Cashman said. “But we’re not currently flying at the level we would’ve expected, because we’re missing some really important pieces.”
“Don’t give up on us. Don’t count us out… It’s a championship caliber operation.” -Brian Cashman pic.twitter.com/SuV4iBpKGj
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 3, 2023
The Yankees are plagued by myriad injuries to key players, including star offseason acquisition Carlos Rodon, who recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a back ailment and has yet to feature in the regular season. Aaron Judge landed on the 10-day IL earlier in the week, joining the likes of Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson, as well as Luis Severino and Jonathan Loaisiga, who are on the 15-day IL.
New York (16–15) sits 8.5 games behind the Rays for the top spot in the AL East, the only division in baseball without a team below .500.
Cashman didn’t deny that the Yankees aren’t where they need to be in terms of their early season success, but he made clear that he believes this team is capable of winning a championship if it gets a clean bill of health.
