About Yesterday: That’s A Wrap

About Yesterday: That’s A Wrap

By Tim Kabel

September 28, 2026

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The Yankees final game of the season never happened. Technically, the last game of the year was the second game of the doubleheader on Friday. Yesterday's game which would have been game #162 of the season, was rained out. It will not be made-up. My biggest question about that is what happens if you had a ticket for yesterday's game? Most likely you would get a voucher for a ticket next season. My mind races to all sorts of possibilities. What if there is no season next year? What if you had a ticket but were moving away in the fall or winter. I can imagine some poor fellow having paid for a ticket for a game that will never happen and being unable to receive any type of compensation. I feel a book coming on. 

The Yankees will begin the Wild Card round of the playoffs Tuesday night against the Red Sox at home. Cam Schlittler has been announced as the starter of Game One, which he should be. The Red Sox have not yet named a starter.

There are many questions regarding the Yankees and the Wild Card round. Will they activate Trent Grisham? Will they activate Giancarlo Stanton? How many pitchers will they carry? Will they bring up Carlos Lagrange and have him make his Major League debut in the playoffs? Will Aaron Judge be able to play? Should Aaron Judge play? I have written on those topics as have others. For today, I just want to look at the 2026 regular season and summarize it as best I can.

The Yankees finished the season with a record of 93-68. As usual, they went through a rather lengthy Boone-Swoon for which no one, especially the manager, had any explanation. For the second year in a row, they finished second in the American League East. Although last year they were technically tied with the Blue Jays. This year, they were 4 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

There were quite a few negatives with this team but there were also many positives. Let's take a look at the negatives first, to get them over with.

Jazz Chisholm came into the season with very lofty expectations. He announced that he would have a 50/50 season. That is 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. He wound up with 19 home runs and 41 stolen bases. He batted.231 with 55 RBI. This was his walk year, and he will be a free agent in the off-season. I do not expect the Yankees to re-sign him. Jazz Chisholm is extremely talented and there are a lot of positives to his game. However, he is very streaky, he is unpredictable, and he is high maintenance. You never know if he is going to instigate some type of a brouhaha or if he's going to be chomping on a lollipop in the field. He will want a lot of money and a lengthy contract. I doubt the Yankees will give him either. We are most likely going to see Chisholm’s final game as a Yankee very shortly.

Ryan McMahon had a disappointing season, batting .213 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI. Although his defense was solid, it was not spectacular and certainly not good enough to make up for his dreadful offense. Let's put it this way, the Yankees were auditioning playoff replacements for him on the final day of the season. I don't think he will be the Yankees starting third baseman next year. If he is, that's not a good sign.

Trent Grisham was brought back to the Yankees this year when they issued him the qualifying offer and he accepted it. He finished the season on the IL and played 121 games this year. He batted .211 with eighteen home runs, 59 RBI and 9 stolen bases. His defense, which was once lauded is now near the bottom of the league. I have read many articles that describe Grisham as old. He isn't. He won't be 30 until November. He simply looks old when he's playing. That is not a good thing. I do not believe the Yankees will bring him back next year under any circumstances.

Giancarlo Stanton played a grand total of 24 games in 2026 and his last game was April 24th. He injured himself jogging from first base to second base. That sentence essentially sums up Stanton’s career as a Yankee. I know there has been a lot of talk about activating him for the playoffs because of his fearsome reputation as a playoff performer. Well, I am completely opposed to it because he didn't do very well last year in the playoffs, and he has not been in a game since April. While he was recovering from one leg injury, he fell down running the bases and injured his other leg. It makes absolutely no sense to activate him for the playoffs. Therefore, I'm sure the Yankees will do it. I do not expect Stanton to be on the team next year. They need to move on from him and focus on players who can actually stay on the field.

Austin Wells had a disappointing season and failed to become a consistent and reliable offensive player. He ended the season batting .186 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI. He did hit the bulk of his home runs and drove in most of his runs recently, so that's a positive. If he could do that in the playoffs, then the horrible numbers he put up over the entire season would not matter. He is an excellent defensive catcher and because there are not a lot of very good catchers floating around out there, I expect Wells will be back next year. As I have pointed out a few times, Wells’ offensive weakness is not the main issue. It's the fact that he is one of several players who are weak offensively that becomes the issue. If he becomes the only one, carrying him on the team will not be a big problem.

Jasson Dominguez failed to realize his potential this season and although he was injured, he was not able to produce enough to stay on the team. The fact that the Yankees recalled Max Schuemann instead of him when Aaron Judge went on the IL tells you all you need to know. I expect Dominguez to be traded in the offseason and I truly hope he flourishes wherever he goes.

Camilo Doval who was brought over in 2025 at the trade deadline, was dreadful and was eventually traded to the Pirates at the deadline this year. Since then, he was released by the Pirates. Unfortunately, the Yankees gave the Giants prospects for him. Whether or not those prospects turn into anything, the acquisition of Doval was a disaster.

Jake Bird fell into a similar category.

Let's look at the positives. 

Ben Rice continued his development as one of the best players in the league and finished the year as a serious contender for the MVP. During Aaron Judge's absence, Rice carried the team. He batted .264 with 41 home runs and 97 RBI. He will be a key member of this team for many years to come and with a healthy Aaron Judge for an entire season will provide a very powerful 1-2 punch for the Yankees.

The acquisition of Luis Garcia at the trade deadline was a very solid move. He has proven to be a very good first baseman and has forced Rice to be the designated hitter most of the time. Garcia batted .277 for the entire season with 30 home runs and 92 RBI. Playing next year for the full season with the Yankees, he may hit even more home runs with that short rightfield porch.

George Lombard, Jr. arrived in the Major Leagues in August at age 21. Despite some growing pains, he showed flashes of brilliance defensively and offensively. In 42 games, he batted .237 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. He will be the shortstop for the Yankees next year and I anticipate that he will improve dramatically, as has been his pattern when he is moved up a level in his career.

Anthony Volpe struggled after coming off the IL and was eventually sent down to the minor leagues when he was replaced by George Lombard. Volpe put his head down and did his work. He didn't sulk, pout, or complain. He learned to play second base and will most likely be the Yankees starting second baseman next season. Is he a superstar? No, he is not. However, he is young and could be a solid and contributing member of the team for several years. He could become part of a very solid double play combination with Lombard.

Spencer Jones came up to the Major Leagues with a lot of skeptics and question marks. Many people felt that he would be a failure at the Major League level. He was not. Quite the opposite, in 86 games, he batted.245 with 11 home runs and forty RBI. He played a solid outfield and demonstrated that he can hit left-handed pitching very well. He was improving consistently throughout the season and should be the Yankee starting center fielder for years to come.

Cam Schlittler emerged as not only the ace of the Yankees staff but also the likely Cy Young Award winner. I have been a Yankees fan since 1975 and haven't felt this excited about a young starting pitcher coming up through the system since Andy Pettitte and before him, Ron Guidry. Barring injury, Schlittler could be the anchor of the Yankees rotation for many years.

Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon returned from injuries, although Cole's was much more serious. Cole was up and down this season and it is quite likely that next year he will be much closer to the consistent and dominant Gerrit Cole we know and love.

The Yankees should have a very solid starting rotation with Schlittler, Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and either will Warren, Ryan Weathers, or Elmer Rodriguez.

Although Carlos Lagrange was injured, he shows promise as a back of the bullpen pitcher. Surprisingly, Angel Chivilli, before he was injured, show some real promise in the Major Leagues as well and could be a big part of the bullpen. Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn were key parts of the bullpen and should be able to repeat that in the future. The Yankees have to decide if they want to re-sign David Bednar. I would endorse that move.

Regardless of what happens in the playoffs, the Yankees look to be building for the future. They have several components of what could become a very formidable team. Obviously, Aaron Judge will be the most important part and hopefully, next season he will avoid injury. We all know what he can do when that happens.