About The Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About The Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

August 25, 2026

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The Yankees were off yesterday after winning a three-game series and the season series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. The Yankees have 32 games left this season. They will now play seven games at home against the Astros and the Red Sox, including a doubleheader on Saturday against the Red Sox. 

As I am writing this, the Yankees are in second place in the American League East, three games behind the Rays and three games ahead of the Red Sox. Despite the sunny optimism spewed by the Yankees broadcasters, I don't know if the Yankees will be able to catch the Rays in the standings. The Rays lead the Yankees in their head-to-head matchups this season six games to three. For the Yankees to win the season series against the Rays, they will need to sweep the four-game series against them in September, including a doubleheader on September 22nd. That is a tall order. If the Yankees do not win the season series against the Rays, they will need to finish one game ahead of Tampa Bay to win the division. That is an even taller order. 

The Yankees have a 4-5 record against the Red Sox so far this season. They will need to win three of the remaining four games, including at least one game of that doubleheader on August 29^th to win the season series against the Red Sox. Otherwise, if the Yankees are tied for second place in the American League East with the Red Sox, they will actually be in third place and in a lower Wild Card position. So, these next seven games and truly, the rest of the games this season, are extremely significant for the Yankees’ playoff chances. They need to fire on all cylinders and cannot revert to scoring two runs or fewer in the majority of their games and hoping to sneak by the opponent. 

Since I don't have a game to recap, I will now move from topic to topic as if I was still on the cruise ship wandering through the buffet munching on delicacies while holding a tropical drink in my hand.

·      It is very likely that Giancarlo Stanton will never play for the New York Yankees again. Despite all those optimistic reports we heard lately and the broadcasters on radio and television telling us that Stanton would be back very soon, he won't be. While attempting to recover from his right hamstring strain, he injured his left hamstring, falling when he was running the bases. There is no timetable for his return. Actually, there is a timetable for his return: never. He has been out since the end of April with a hamstring injury that has now turned into an injury of the other hamstring. He played in 24 games this season. If I had told you in Spring Training that George Lombard, Jr. would play in more games for the Yankees this season than Giancarlo Stanton, I doubt you would have believed me.  Since Stanton could not recover in four months from his initial injury, it is logical to believe that he won't recover in one month from his second one. Also, don't forget that the first injury still had not improved to the point where he was cleared to play in games. Stanton played in 77 games last year and 24 games this year. That is 101 games over two seasons. That wouldn't be acceptable in one season. To keep Stanton on the roster after this season would be absolute folly on the part of the Yankees. He has one year left on his contract that will pay him $25 million. The Miami Marlins are responsible for $10 million of that total. Stanton has a $25 million club option for 2028 with a $10 million buyout. There is no way in the world that the Yankees would exercise that option. So, the Yankees are on the hook for $15 million in 2027 and $10 million in 2028. Since Stanton has played in fewer and fewer games each season, it is not realistic to expect that he will be able to do much of anything next year. To be perfectly blunt, he is a waste of a roster space at this point in his career. Obviously, he is extremely unlikely to retire. Why would he? Why should he? Instead, the Yankees should find a graceful and dignified way of ending his career with the team before the beginning of next season. He will still get his salary; he just won't be on the roster. Having him on the roster means utilizing a space for someone who will more than likely be on the IL for the vast majority of the season. Stanton certainly had his moments with the Yankees but overall, I think it is fair to say that his Yankees career was something of a disappointment as he never won a World Series with the Yankees. He missed too many games to count and too many games that counted. It is time to thank him for his contributions and gently and kindly send him on his way. No, he does not deserve to have his number retired. Nor does he deserve to have a plaque in Monument Park. A day to honor him would be perfectly appropriate. That ceremony should involve very limited activities, so he does not injure himself, but he deserves some demonstration of appreciation and gratitude.

·      As most of you have noticed, I have returned from my cruise. I did not wade ashore wearing sunglasses and clutching a corncob pipe in my teeth a la General MacArthur in the Philippines, but it was a triumphant trip, nonetheless. The key to happiness is recognizing what you can do and what you can't do and then doing what you can and not attempting to do what you can't. In other words, due to my physical and medical limitations, I could not go into pools, oceans, or hot tubs. In addition, the deck on the ship where the pool was located was constantly soaked due to the occupants of the pool, mostly children, splashing. The solution utilized by the staff on the ship was to take mops and spread the water over the rest of the floor, so the entire floor was slippery. Even though I was using a rolling walker, wet floors are still a hazard for me. I could quite easily slip and fall while using a walker. Therefore, after I slipped five times on my first visit to that deck, I did not make any return trips. I found other things to do. I sat on the balcony of my room. I walked about the ship to go to breakfast, brunch, or dinner, and I visited various shops. I read two books and I relaxed. Most importantly, I was able to watch my wife and sons enjoy themselves. Both of my sons had been on cruises before, but my wife had not. To see the absolute joy on her face when she described swimming in crystal clear water surrounded by tropical fish was the highlight of the trip for me. 

·      I have an absolutely crazy, out-of-the-box suggestion for the Yankees. If it were up to me, I would have Shelley Duncan and his coaching staff take Jasson Dominguez out on the field early in the day before most of the other players arrived. I would have the coaches work with Dominguez to see if he could play third base. He has a strong arm, and he is very quick. Third base is more of a reactionary position than either second base or shortstop. The reality is that it will be difficult for Dominguez to find playing time as an outfielder next year. I don't believe the Yankees will bring Trent Grisham back, but Spencer Jones will most likely be the centerfielder with Aaron Judge in rightfield and Cody Bellinger in left. Luis Garcia and Ben Rice will alternate between first base and DH. At this point, Dominguez does not have a tremendous amount of trade value. Ryan McMahon has been extremely underwhelming in his first full season as the Yankees third baseman. There have been many examples in baseball history of players making position changes. Dale Murphy came up as a catcher but became an outfielder. Joe Torre was a catcher who became a third baseman. It certainly would not hurt to try this experiment. If Dominguez is willing to do it, which I believe he would be, it just might work. If they were to try this now, he could play the remaining games down the stretch in Scranton at third base. He could then go to Winter Ball and do the same. However, if the Yankees were to try this and it worked, they would need to commit to it completely. They couldn't spontaneously decide to move Dominguez back to the outfield. I know it's a crazy idea, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to try it. What is there to lose?

·      One way or another, the Yankees will have some positions that need to be addressed for next season. As I noted above, I do not believe they will bring Trent Grisham back. Based on his performance this season, I think Spencer Jones will be the most likely candidate to be the starting centerfielder. I also do not believe that Jazz Chisolm will return to the Yankees. Depending on how the collective bargaining agreement situation is resolved, the Yankees may not be in a position to spend freely. Let's face facts, they have been unwilling to spend freely for quite a while now anyway. Perhaps, the best and most likely scenario would be to bring Anthony Volpe back to the Major Leagues but strictly as a second baseman. If George Lombard Jr. needs a day off or has a minor injury, the Yankees should have Jose Caballero or Oswaldo Cabrera or someone else play shortstop. If they allow Volpe to play shortstop again with George Lombard on the team, it will become a disaster. That would be particularly true if Aaron Boone is still the manager. That leaves third base and catcher as the two main areas that will need an upgrade. The Yankees should explore every option that is available for both of those positions. Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells have very clearly proven during this season that they are not the answer for either the short-term or the long-term. Heliot Ramos has not done much since being acquired at the trade deadline. If the Yankees don't trade him, he could be a right-handed pinch hitter and fourth outfielder, although he is not a very good outfielder.   

·      I'm very intrigued by Luis Durango, who is a slap hitting lightning-fast outfielder currently playing for the Somerset Patriots in AA. He has moved rapidly through the system this season, playing at three levels. Overall, he has a.394 on base percentage and a .338 batting average. He has less power than a butterfly flying into a windstorm, but that's fine. He gets on base; he beats out hits; he slaps the ball to all fields. The Yankee should move him to AAA for the rest of the season and give him a long look in Spring Training. He could become the ideal fourth outfielder, pinch runner, and defensive replacement for the Yankees next season. Luis Garcia will be a free agent after next year. With Ben Rice playing first base full time, the Yankees could rotate all their outfielders through the DH position, making Durango a regular, if everything works out. He is not the type of player the Yankees generally utilize but maybe they should. He would bring a whole new dimension to the Yankees that they sorely need. After all, they have several players who are supposed to be big power hitters who either strike out or get out in some other fashion and simply don't get on base very often. Trent Grisham is batting .221. Wouldn't you rather have someone batting .338 who also has 44 stolen bases, as opposed to the 9 that Grisham has accumulated? I'm not saying the Yankees need to have an entire team of players like Durango. One would be nice, however.