About The Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About The Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

September 4, 2026

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The Yankees were off yesterday after winning a three-game series against the Angels.  Tonight, they will open a three-game series against the Padres before coming home next week.

As I am writing this, the Yankees are in second place in the American League East, three and a half games behind the Rays and five games ahead of the Red Sox. The Yankees won the season series against the Red Sox and have a comfortable lead over them in the Division and Wild Card races. The Yankees have 22 games left in the regular season. Four of those games are against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees only have seven series left in the regular season. While things could certainly change, the most logical and likely scenario is that the Yankees will finish second in the American League East and first in the Wild Card race.

That means that the Yankees will probably host a three-game series played on three consecutive days against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Obviously, if either of the teams wins the first two games, the series would be over. The Yankees simply need to get to that point from where they are right now. In other words, they can't have any more major injuries and they need to get players such as Aaron Judge, Clark Schmidt, and Max Fried completely ready to be factors in the postseason.

You will notice that I did not mention Giancarlo Stanton. That was intentional. There have not been any rosy forecasts about him lately and it seems highly unlikely that he will be able to do anything in a uniform for the Yankees this season other than watch. If that proves to be the case, the Yankees need to step away from him before next year so that we don't have to go through this whole scenario all over again. The next three weeks should very be very interesting and exciting for the Yankees and their fans.

Since I don't have a game to recap, I will now move from topic to topic as if I was at a fall fair, wandering about with a smoked turkey leg in one hand and a cup of fresh lemonade in the other.

·      There has been a lot of speculation about when Aaron Judge will be ready to return to the lineup for the Yankees. There was some indication that he might be able to do so at some point during the upcoming homestand which begins on Tuesday, September 8th. He has no interest in or desire to participate in a minor league rehab assignment and it seems that the Yankees will not request that he do so. However, he really needs to ratchet up his activities to the point where he can play in Major League games. There is a fine line here because the Yankees certainly don't want to push him too hard to get him back quickly and, in the process, reaggravate the rib injury or cause a new one somewhere else. I don't think it's realistic for anyone to expect Judge to return at 100% of his capabilities. That takes time. Don't forget, he hasn't been able to do much of anything for a few months. I realize that he is probably the best player in the American League and possibly in the Major Leagues, but he is human and needs to get his timing down and his swing in order. Let's not put all our hopes for the Yankees’ success in the postseason on Judge’s shoulders. That wouldn't be fair. It will certainly be nice to have him back, but other people need to step up.

·      I have written periodically about the wound I have on my leg as a result of my edema. It seems as if I am in the final stages of healing that last wound. It decreased in size by 15% in the last week and the treatments I have been receiving, including skin grafts and the utilization of a pressurized sleeve really seem to be working. I'm very pleased with my doctor and he is thrilled with my progress. Once the wound is healed, I will still need to have daily compression treatments to reduce swelling on my legs so that this doesn't happen again. I will also need to continue carefully monitoring my diet so that I don't eat triple salt pretzels wrapped in bacon, which would cause my leg to explode instantly. The maintenance will not be an issue, but it will still limit my activities. Because I take what are known as water pills every day and require daily leg daily compression treatments on my leg, as well as elevation, I will not be going back to the traditional workforce at any point. Besides, now that I'm 62 years old, I don't think anyone would be interested in hiring me anyway. I will continue writing and working to get my novels published. I will also be able to have the knee replacement surgery that I can not have while I have an open sore on my leg. That will greatly increase my mobility and make things a lot easier for me. I anticipate that by the time I reach the age of 70, I will be in far better shape in all areas than I was when I was 60.  I could be the next six million dollar man. I just hope I don't have to engage in a fist fight with Bigfoot.

·      As the Yankees prepare to head into the playoffs, they have some major concerns in their lineup. Although Jazz Chisolm has picked things up somewhat lately, he has still not had a very good season and that will probably cost him when he becomes a free agent. He is also very streaky and can disappear offensively for long stretches. Although he predicted he would hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases this season, he will fall far short. He only has 19 home runs and although he will probably surpass 20, I wouldn't expect too much more than that with only 22 games left. Austin Wells has also improved somewhat lately, but it would have been hard not to improve. He set the bar so low that almost anything would be an improvement. He is batting .190 for the season with 10 home runs and 28 RBI. That is a month for some players. He can also disappear from the lineup. In fact, games in which he has been an offensive contributor are far fewer than games in which he has not been one. Ryan McMahon, despite all the talk about how he had improved this year offensively, is still batting .217 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. Trent Grisham is considered to be one of the slowest centerfielders in the Major Leagues and has regressed defensively. I have read articles about how he is an aging outfielder. He's 29 years old. He is not an aging outfielder. He is simply not a very good one. He is batting .211 for the season with 18 home runs and 59 RBI. He hit 34 home runs last year. It will be hard for the Yankees to advance in the playoffs unless they suddenly get production out of these players or make changes. If the Yankees continue to play all their weak links together at the same time, I don't think they will fare very well in the playoffs.

·      I have been writing this for a while now but others have now joined me.  When Aaron Judge returns to the lineup, it is Trent Grisham who should sit and not Spencer Jones. Spencer Jones should become the starting centerfielder. He was a centerfielder throughout his minor league career and has shifted to the corner positions to accommodate Grisham. That needs to stop. That should stop today. If it makes sense to put Jones in centerfield when Judge returns, he should be there now. Jones should play as many games in centerfield as possible. In addition, if we can all acknowledge that Grisham has slipped defensively as a centerfielder, then he should be moved to rightfield until Judge returns. If his ego becomes bruised, that's unfortunate but it should not prevent the move. It's not as if we are moving Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle. Spencer Jones has adjusted very nicely to playing in the Major Leagues and is improving consistently. He has far more upside than Grisham. The only problem with all of this is Aaron Boone. Boone has done this time and time again with Aaron Hicks, DJ LeMahieu, and Anthony Volpe. When he decides that someone should be the starting player and is a really good player, the facts do not get in his way. He recently indicated that he feels Grisham is still a viable alternative as a Major League centerfielder. That means that it will probably be Jones who sits when Judge returns. The Yankees will pay for that decision in the short-term as they head into the playoffs. At some point, Grisham will either come up small offensively or misplay a ball in centerfield that will cost the Yankees a game. The only question will be whether that will finally be enough for the Yankees to say “Boone Voyage” to their manager.