Major League Baseball has announced that in 2026, it will be using robot umpires. At the beginning of the 2026 season, players and managers will be able to challenge balls and strikes after MLB’s competition committee voted to adopt the automated-assisted system, a change made to improve accuracy behind the plate.

In the past, this system has been tested in the Minor Leagues, as well as spring training and this year’s All-Star Game. During those trials, players, pitchers and managers were given a limited number of challenges per game. Only pitchers, hitters and catchers will be able to challenge calls. Challenges are displayed on the scoreboard, allowing fans to view the live automated calls. There will still be human plate umpires and they will still call balls and strikes. The computerized system will only come into play if the call is challenged.

It is predicted that the automated system will cut down the rate of ejections. Yankees Manager, Aaron Boone, who leads in ejections for the fifth straight year, states that “this system is inevitable.” During the spring training test this year, teams averaged around four challenges per game. The challenges succeeded 52.2% of the time. Pitches outside the zone that seem like strikes are overturned at a rate of 56%.

The league believes that the system can improve accuracy while also maintaining the pace of the game and offering a balance between traditional umpiring and the new robot umpiring. Supporters say it represents the next step in baseball’s evolution, while critics argue it may change the feel of the sport.

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly firmly in the running for 26-year-old free agent Juan Soto, leaning heavily on their history and the city of Boston to lure the slugger away from larger markets. If the pitch gains traction, it would be a massive blow to the Yankees, who would have to play against him as a rival after failing to re-sign him. 

The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman reported Wednesday that the Red Sox have elected to lead their pitch with a focus on the team’s historical success, specifically with Dominican-born players. Soto would have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Red Sox legends like Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz. 

As an organization, Boston has plenty to boast about in recent years. It won’t take much to convince Soto that the team is a serious contender looking to build a new core around him. Boston is also a large city, one that would allowed Soto to receive nationwide attention for the rest of his career.

For all the trophies and history going into Boston’s pitch for the generational star, however, there will always be an inescapable bottom line to negotiations. Represented by agent Scott Boras and coming off a spectacular season with the Yankees, Soto is almost certain to demand the second-largest contract in the history of baseball, right behind the record-breaking $700 million contract Shohei Ohtani signed last season.

Though the Red Sox have been one of the league’s heaviest spenders in the past, the team has taken a step back in recent years. Boston’s front office infamously declined to extend Mookie Betts, allowing the All-Star outfielder to sign with the Dodgers in 2020. It will be a minor surprise if that same team is the one who goes on to sign Soto to a deal that could exceed $600 million.

While Boston does its best to make Soto feel at home, suitors remain lined up around the block. The Yankees are still looking to re-sign their right fielder, while the Mets and Dodgers both figure as interested buyers that will spare no expense. It will almost certainly take several rounds of negotiations before the picture begins to clear.

Among a list of heavyweight franchises lining up to negotiate with star free agent outfielder Juan Soto, an unlikely name has reportedly entered the fray. The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman reported that the Tampa Bay Rays, the league’s perennial pennywise contender, gave the 26-year-old phenom a call.

Amid rumors that teams like the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers all reached out to Soto as well, Tampa Bay can safely be considered an outside contender in this particular sweepstakes. Those three teams, among others in the race, are capable of crafting a roster with a $250 million payroll. The Rays spent $88 million in 2024, and Soto is expected to make at least $50 million per year by himself with his upcoming contract.

Still, it is admirable that Tampa Bay’s front office would give Soto a call, a clear sign that the team is considering every option going into 2025. The team has earned a reputation in recent years for maximizing player value, earning strong results despite spending far less than the league’s juggernauts. 2024 was a down year in which the team went 80-82, but it snapped a five-season streak of playoff appearances.

Because the Rays offloaded a considerable number of talented players over the last two seasons, including Tyler Glasnow, Randy Arozarena and Amed Rosario, they don’t have a ton of question marks to address on the existing roster. The team was quick to pick up second baseman Brandon Lowe’s $10.5 million option for 2025, allowing the front office to focus on free agency and the trade markets.

Tampa Bay traditionally has a revolving door for a bullpen, as the team is notoriously good at acquiring undervalued relievers and finding a place for them. The team is also reportedly looking for a catcher, as Ben Rortvedt struggled at the plate in 2024. This has been a need for most of the team’s history.

Beyond player acquisitions this off-season, the Rays must also figure out where they’ll be playing in 2025, as Tropicana Field may be unavailable after sustaining damage during Hurricane Helene. The team could temporarily relocate to several parks in Florida and surrounding states, but the situation remains murky. It yet another hit for one of the league’s pluckiest teams.

For teams with tight purse strings, success in MLB is slower and cyclical. The Rays, like many others, develop talent, negotiate productive trades and find overlooked players to fill out the roster. It is harder to do and prevents teams from acquiring the likes of Soto most of the time, but the Rays have proven to be better at it than almost anyone. Even without a home field in 2025, it appears that they’re reloading again.

The New York Yankees’ 2024 season came to a screeching halt Wednesday night when the team blew a five-run lead and lost to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. The loss will sting for some time, but executives in New York will not have long to lament. The free agency sweepstakes for slugging outfielder Juan Soto has just begun.

When the Yankees acquired Soto from the Padres in a trade last off-season, the team instantly became a World Series contender. Sure enough, despite glaring weaknesses up and down the roster, Soto paired perfectly with A.L. MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge and led the team deep into the postseason. A failure to finish the job, however, makes it all the more likely that Soto looks elsewhere with his contract expiring.

“I don’t know what the teams are that are going to come after me,” Soto said. “But definitely, I’ll be open to this and every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”

The Yankees aren’t exactly strapped for cash, ranking among the highest payrolls in baseball. In order to lock down Soto, however, the front office would likely have to make one of the largest contract offers in MLB history, perhaps even rivaling the $700 million deal the Dodgers made with Shohei Ohtani last offseason. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner indicated over the summer that the team intends to cut the payroll going forward.

“I’m gonna be honest, payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially,” Steinbrenner said of the Yankees’ $309 million payroll in 2024, via the New York Post. “It wouldn’t be sustainable for the vast majority of ownership [groups], given the luxury tax we have to pay.”

This doesn’t mean that the Yankees won’t make a competitive offer to try and retain their outfielder, who hit .288 with 41 home runs in 2024. It simply means that there will be eager buyers out there, some of which will likely be able to outbid a constricted Yankees organization. The conversation must begin with the Mets and Dodgers.

The Yankees’ crosstown rivals in Queens have a laundry list of free agency questions to address already, namely star first baseman and postseason hero Pete Alonso. But with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer finally off the books, Mets owner Steve Cohen, a hedge fund billionaire, likely has more than enough bandwidth to go after Soto with nearly unrivaled funds. That wasn’t enough last off-season, however.

Before Cohen and new Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns successfully built their magical upstart NLCS team, they planned to be heavy spenders and failed. Most importantly, they missed out on star free agents Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who both landed with the Dodgers. 

Los Angeles is one of the few teams in the league that can match Cohen’s lucrative offers, and Soto has already headed out West for a lengthy stint in San Diego. The Dodgers’ existing contracts would rule out almost any team in baseball from pursuing Soto, but the ownership group and GM Brandon Gomes have cleverly structured many of its largest deals and reportedly still has money to spare. While Soto could become the new centerpiece of a resurgent Mets team, putting the generational talent in the same lineup with Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would kickstart a potential Dodgers dynasty.

New York and Los Angeles will not be the only teams in touch with Soto this winter. The Phillies, Red Sox and Cubs will all reportedly come to the table with offers. Some rumors even suggest that the budgeting Nationals will try their best to bring their old prospect home. By the time, he signs the dotted line, every team will likely have some connection to the star. If Soto is to be believed, however, feelings won’t take precedence. The highest bidder is almost certain to seal the deal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 to win the World Series Wednesday night. The Yankees blew a five-run lead at home and could only watch on as Los Angeles celebrated its eight title victory in front of sellout Yankee Stadium crowd.

“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die, probably,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told reporters after the game. “I think just like every other loss, you know, those things don’t go away. They’re battle scars along the way. And, you know, hopefully when my career is over, we got a lot a battle scars but a lot of victories along the way too.”

After avoiding a sweep in an 11-4 blowout win Tuesday, the Yankees seemed intent on continuing their impossible march early in Game 5. Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton all homered in the first two frames to put the Bombers ahead 5-0. Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty exited with just one out in the second, forcing Los Angeles to turn to its bullpen for another lengthy assignment. 

On the other side, fans in the Bronx were finally electrified. They had a Game 4 win under their belts. New York ace Gerrit Cole was cruising with run support, starting Game 5 with four flawless innings. Judge, dead silent for the entire series, was finally starting to hit like an MVP. With a few more quiet Los Angeles frames, the Yankees’ impossible dream of a reverse sweep could have been worth a whisper. Then the fifth inning came and went with all the grace of a six-car pileup on the Grand Concourse.

Judge kicked off the circus routine by dropping an easy line drive to center field, putting runners on first and second. On the very next play, shortstop Anthony Volpe tried to get the lead runner out on a ground ball but spiked the throw to third, loading the bases with no outs. Cole, battling through the poor play behind him, managed to strike out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani for two gutsy outs. A soft grounder down the first base line from Mookie Betts should have ended the inning.

But after coming all the way back from two fielding errors behind him, Cole suffered his own lapse. He failed to cover first base, allowing Betts to reach first, drive in a run and prolong the inning. The Dodgers didn’t need any favors from there; Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez connected for back-to-back two-RBI knocks and Los Angeles tied the game with five unearned runs.

The Yankees retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and Cole carried on in heroic fashion, throwing 108 pitching in 6.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In a battle of the bullpens from there, however, New York folded almost immediately, loading the bases in the sixth and seventh innings and allowing two runs on sacrifice flies in the latter frame. With a 7-6 lead, the Dodgers closed out the game to earn their eighth World Title.

Freeman earned World Series MVP honors in overwhelming fashion, as the first baseman overcame an injury to hit four home runs and earn 12 RBIs across five games against New York. In a World Series billed as a star-studded matchup between the sport’s most famous franchises, Freeman was the only star to live up to those sky-high expectations.

“It seems like we hit every speed bump possible over the course of this year,” Freeman said after the game. “And to overcome what we did as a group of guys, it’s special. This is what we start out to do every single spring training is to win a championship. I think it’s the hardest thing to do in sports because you just never know what’s going to happen.”

Juan Soto, Judge’s slugging counterpart all season, was far from the Yankees’ biggest problem in the postseason, but the team’s collective failure is sure to make his impending free agency a nightmare. After Game 5, Soto told reporters that he will hear offers from all 30 MLB teams, and reports suggest that he will likely take the best offer. A meeting with Mets owner Steve Cohen in Queens is on the horizon and could potentially take a massive chunk out of the Yankees’ lineup in 2025.

Judge is sure to take the vast majority of the blame for the Yankees’ postseason failure; after batting .322 with 58 home runs in the regular season, the presumptive A.L. MVP batted 4-for-18 in the World Series. Before Game 5, he batted 2-for-15, and even after finally coming alive at the plate, his final game this season will be remembered for his costly error in center field that kickstarted the Dodgers’ comeback.

Despite the obvious blame on Judge for the Yankees’ shortcomings, he was not the only MVP candidate to have a quiet World Series. Ohtani was supposed to be the titan on the other side of the matchup, but he actually performed worse than Judge, going 2-for-19 without an RBI. 

In the end, the 2024 World Series was only partially determined by clutch play from immense talents. For the most part, it was a far more fundamental battle, one in which Los Angeles systematically took advantage of the New York’s sloppy play on the way to an unexpected rout. 

The team didn’t need Ohtani to be sharp; Freeman motored the team to consistent leads, and the pitching staff held a hapless Yankees lineup in check for the most part. It may have made for less compelling viewing than the offensive shootout some expected, but the Dodgers proved to be the cleaner team and took full advantage of the Yankees’ collective no-show. It was a decisive, if abrupt, triumph.

The Yankees clinched a playoff spot with 10 games to spare Wednesday night, defeating the Mariners 2-1 in extra innings. The win did not come without controversy, however, as a strange play involving Seattle slugger Julio Rodriguez likely determined the outcome.

In the bottom of the 10th inning with no outs and runners on first and third, Rodriguez was the team’s automatic runner and seemed to have a solid chance of scoring the tying run.

On a 2-1 count, Mariners batter Randy Arozarena lost his grip on the bat and sent it flying right at Rodriguez down the third base line. Rodriguez ran further into foul territory to dodge the bat and took a few moments to gather himself. He did not realize that the play was still live, however, and the Yankees capitalized by picking him off at third. The Mariners did not score and suffered their second loss to New York this week.

“I just saw a bat flying up to my face and I just ran away from it,” Rodriguez said after the game. “And after that, I was just in a little bit of shock, and I didn’t get back to third base in time … After I saw the bat, I thought it was going to be a dead play.”

When bats enter the field and impact the result of a play, they most often interfere with fielders trying to get an out. It is very rare that a bat in play interferes without the ball getting hit, which might explain why the rules do not specify any dead-ball procedure for this sort of instance. Rodriguez reacted to the bat in the same way that he would have if a foul ball had been hit in his direction, which would have given him time to return to the base without incident.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Yankees are now a playoff team that is guaranteed a Wild Card spot at least. With the Orioles struggling late in the season, it is likely that the Yanks will hang on to win the A.L. East division as well. At one point, that seemed inevitable, but New York hasn’t been sharp in the second half either.

Besides slugging outfielders Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees have had a frustrating season in which they have oscillated between World Series contender and completely ineffective.

The team’s starting rotation tailed off after a hot start, and Clay Holmes has performed so badly as a closer that the team has had to assume a committee approach to close out games. Against the Mariners on Wednesday, he gave up the game-tying run in the eighth to force extras. Injuries to Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton also crippled the lineup for a time. Between June and August, the Yankees went 39-38 after beginning the season 40-19.

The Yankees have reached an uneasy equilibrium in September to earn some semblance of their former status as a legitimate playoff contender. It seems like every team in the league has weaknesses this year, and thus parity may also help in October. While many of these squads face off in meaningful games to finish out the season, New York will wrap up with a postseason berth in hand and and a growing division lead.

Two pitches after going down with an apparent injury in the sixth inning, Yankees slugger Juan Soto returned to the batter’s box and blasted a go-ahead two-run home run, driving in New York’s first runs in 15 combined innings. It was a signature moment for Soto, as the Yanks went on to beat the Royals 4-3 in 11 innings and take a 1.5-game lead in the A.L. East.

Soto limped off during the at-bat in the sixth inning after fouling a ball off his foot, eventually going down and struggling to get back on his feet. Instead of exiting, however, Soto stayed in, took the next pitch, and blasted a hanging curveball to give New York a 2-1 lead.

“It was a lot of pain, but at the end of the day I tried to focus on the at-bat,” Soto said, according to ESPN. “Sometimes when you hit yourself like that, you kind of go away a little bit from the at-bat so I tried to just focus, take my time and go in there and make good contact.”

Soto has lived up to his billing in 2024, and losing him weeks before the playoffs would have been devastating for the Yankees. Instead, he delivered again, and should be a force beside A.L. MVP favorite Aaron Judge as the team looks to win a long-awaited World Series title.

Through 142 games, Soto is batting .289 with 39 home runs and 100 RBIs, an overwhelmingly positive season in his first season in the Bronx. With a likely free agency battle on the horizon, he has positioned himself as one of the most valuable players in baseball. Even at the Yankees’ lowest points this season, he has been a beacon at the plate.

While Soto’s next contract is a topic of intense speculation, but there’s still plenty to do in the present. Despite bumbling their way through most of the summer, the Yankees have retaken the lead over the Orioles for the division. With 16 games to go, however, there’s still plenty of time to blow a 1.5-game lead. A healthy Soto will likely be necessary to avoid a Wild Card seeding.

Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes blew his 11th save of the season Tuesday night, ripping away the New York coaching staff’s final shred of patience. The team announces that it will now enforce a “closer-by-committee” system, in which the team will turn to a number of arms out of the bullpen in save opportunities.

“In the short term, we’ll kind of just get a little creative with it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after another loss to the Rangers Wednesday. “I feel like [Holmes is] throwing the ball really well in a lot of ways. Last night it was certainly a little off and they got to him. But the reality is he’s really not that far off from being the dominant guy we know he can be.”

After earning the closer role in the Bronx after several promising seasons, Holmes has been disastrously bad in 2024, consistently proving ineffective in close games. The Yankees have had a number of problems in recent months, from injuries to an occasionally stagnant offense, but Holmes has been a pain throughout. Tuesday night was the final straw.

Leading 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Holmes entered and quickly got the first out on a ground ball from Travis Jankowski. It was the last out he earned. Holmes allowed a single followed by back-to-back walks, and rookie Wyatt Langford ended it with a devastating walk-off grand slam to give the Rangers the 7-4 victory.

“I feel like I’ve thrown the ball pretty well overall, [but there’s] definitely some spots that I can learn from and have taken with me,” Holmes said after the game.

The Yankees lost again 10-6 on Wednesday, and the bullpen allowed another five runs after starter Marcus Stroman exited early after allowing five runs of his own.

When Boone refers to getting “creative” in temporarily lightening Holmes’ load, it is unclear who he is considering as alternative options at this time. Jake Cousins, Tim Hill and Luke Weaver have all been at least somewhat steady in set-up roles this season. Starting pitchers Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt could also move to the bullpen as they try to come back from injury.

Is it safe to assume that Holmes will still get save opportunities at some point this season, though the team will likely try other options before giving him another shot. Through all their troubles this season, the Yankees are still fighting for the A.L. East division with an 80-60 record. The team’s momentum from the spring is completely gone, however, and it is imperative that the Bombers find some sort of spark with October baseball looming.

The New York Yankees have come to Aaron Judge’s defense after a Staten Island Little League coach accused him of ignoring his players. The children were sitting behind New York’s dugout during the Little League Classic, a game between the Yankees and Tigers in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

After the game, South Shore Little League coach Bob Laterza told the Staten Island Advance that several Yankees players visited with his team beforehand, but that Judge wasn’t one of them. He also complained that Judge did not acknowledge the kids during the game. The Staten Island team qualified for the Little League World Series earlier this summer, eventually falling to Florida in the consolation bracket Tuesday.

“How about turning around or [waving] to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero,” Laterza said. “They are the ones who pay your salary.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he would not dignify Laterza’s comments with a response, affirming Judge’s character. The team delivered an emphatic statement of its own earlier this week defending Judge.

“Win or lose, we intend to invite them to Yankee Stadium,” the team’s statement said. “However, it would have been much better if Staten Island’s Coach called us to understand the facts before bitterly reacting in such a public fashion. Reaching out to us would have been the prudent way to act and would have set a fine example for his young players.

“Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect. The coach could learn a lot from him.”

In the Little League Classic, the Yankees and Tigers both failed to deliver much offense for their eager audience. The Yankees took a 1-0 lead into the ninth inning before Clay Holmes allowed a game-tying run in yet another blown save. Detroit went on to win 3-2 in extra innings.

Judge, who was consistently mobbed by Little Leaguers throughout the event, had no comment for Laterza’s accusations.

“I’m not going to give him a response because it’s about the kids,” Judge said, according to the New York Times. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Aaron Judge became the fastest player to reach 300 career home runs Wednesday, hitting a three-run blast off reliever Chad Kuhn in the top of the eighth inning. By achieving the feat in his 955th MLB game, he became the only player to reach the milestone within 1,000 games.

“It’s a great achievement,” Judge said after the game. “Like I said a couple days ago, I was hoping it would come in a win. It came in a big win for us. We were down for a little bit, couldn’t get much going, so I was just excited it was there in a big moment.”

Judge’s 3,431st career at-bat wasn’t necessarily a game-changer, as the Yankees were already in the midst of a massive rally. Down 2-1 going into the seventh inning, New York eventually scored nine unanswered runs against Chicago in two innings and cruised to a 10-2 win.

If anything, the White Sox were asking for it. With a runner on second and one out, Kuhn intentionally walked Juan Soto, who had homered four times in his last six at-bats, in order to pitch to Judge. Despite getting a 3-0 count, Judge admitted after the game that he felt disrespected and swung away to send the inside pitch screaming out of the ballpark.

“I was mad about the intentional walk. So that kind of fueled it,” Judge told YES Network. “Usually 3-0, I’ll take a pitch, see a pitch, pass it on to the next guy. But in that situation, if they want to pitch to you, you gotta come through.”

As a historical marker, however, the 361-foot shot to left field against the lowly White Sox puts Judge among the greatest hitters in the history of the sport.

In 1953, Ralph Kiner hit his 300th home run in his 1,087th game, making his mark as an all-time great before being forced into an early retirement. Before him, Babe Ruth reached 300 in the fewest at-bats, specifically his 3,831st in 1925. Judge shattered both records Wednesday, putting him on an unprecedented trajectory in his ninth MLB season.

At age 32, Judge is likely going to run out of time before he can challenge the likes of Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list. It’s abundantly clear that he’s still in his prime, however, and with his foreseeable future on the Yankees sealed, it’s impossible to know how much damage he will do by the time curtains close.

After a white-hot start to the 2024 season, the Philadelphia Phillies have finally cooled off in July, going 3-9 since the All-Star break. The team still has a comfortable lead in the N.L. East division, but after suffering a three-game sweep to the Yankees, stars in the clubhouse are looking for answers.

“I could say we haven’t been playing good baseball on both sides of the ball,” Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said after a 6-5 loss Wednesday. “Pretty sloppy as a team — we’ve got to turn the page. We’ve got to cowboy up and play the right way.”

Since returning from a minor injury on July 9, Harper has batted .149 with four home runs and 15 strikeouts. His dip in production reflects a Phillies lineup that has collectively gone quiet in recent weeks.

“We’re a damn good team,” Harper continued. “It’s not that hard, it’s baseball. It’s how the game works. We’ve got really good players in here.”

With a 65-37 record, the Phillies are still comfortably ahead of the Braves and Mets in the division, but the team’s most recent stretch has allowed those two rivals to inch closer. New York has been especially hot lately, making the most of Philadelphia’s drought to get within eight games.

In order to get swept by the Yankees, another group of struggling playoff contenders benefitting from the acquisition of Jazz Chisholm Jr., the Phillies suffered a 14-4 drubbing in the first game before losing two straight games by a single run. Missed opportunities with men on base made the difference in both contests.

With a potent starting rotation and professional lineup, the Phillies are still in an excellent position for the rest of the 2024 season. In fact, if there’s ever a time for the team to slump, it’s probably now.

Philadelphia has built an extremely large cushion within its division, and the team has a considerable amount of postseason experience after consecutive deep runs over the last two seasons. There’s still plenty of time before then to recover. A collapse is never out of the question, but this forgettable month remains a blip for now.

The New York Mets completed their second two-game sweep of the New York Yankees Wednesday night, taking the fourth and final Subway Series game of 2024 in dominant 12-3 fashion. As the Mets rallied behind a white-hot offense, the Yankees suffered yet another categorical failure in a once-hopeful season.

After falling to the Mets 3-2 on Tuesday night, which included shaky reliever Jake Diekman striking out likely A.L. MVP Aaron Judge to earn the save, the Yankees anticipated a momentum swing Wednesday. Reigning A.L. Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole was facing off against Sean Manaea, giving the Yankees a decided advantage.

At first, they seemed to be well on their way. Gleyber Torres hit a solo home run off Manaea to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, Cole retired the first eight Mets batters he faced. Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor eventually broke through with a solo shot of his own, but Juan Soto quickly responded with his own homer, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead going into the fourth inning.

Then the dam broke. The Mets scored 11 unanswered runs in an offensive barrage. Cole ended the night allowing six runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos both hit home runs, and Francisco Lindor hit one from each side of the plate. Every single Mets batter reached first in the game, and Brandon Nimmo was the only that did not do so with a hit.

Jeff McNeil stayed hot with two hits and Taylor, who has been struggling in recent weeks, finished the night 3-for-5. Taylor is now 6-for-9 with two home runs in his career against the Yankees ace.

“I was focused on being ready for the heater,’’ Taylor said after the game. “I’m thankful to have success off him.”

While the Yankees have struggled immensely in the past two months to squeeze production out of hitters not named Judge or Soto, the Mets have slowly built one of the deepest lineups in the league. In Wednesday’s game, the Yankees got two total hits from players batting fourth to ninth. The Mets got nine, including three home runs and six RBIs.

With a 53-48 record, the Mets exited the game with sole control of the second N.L. Wild Card spot, completing a sudden turnaround that began when the team was 11 games under .500 in May. The Yankees, on the other hand, are still 60-44 but have gone 15-25 in their last 40 games. The team has lost control of the A.L. East division to the Orioles and is slowly losing ground in the Wild Card race as well.

For many, the Mets are still not yet a serious playoff contender, as the team still has questions to answer concerning the starting rotation and bullpen. But through sustained offensive firepower, the Mets have managed to rebuild themselves this summer and put management in a position to buy at the trade deadline. In four victories against the Yankees in 2024, they scored 36 runs.

The Yankees, once World Series contenders after an extremely hot start, are slipping into obscurity despite holding one of the best records in baseball. The team has not recovered from injuries to Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton, and while the lineup has frozen over, the starting pitching has regressed as well. The front office is still preparing for an active trade deadline, but there seem to be too many holes to plug.

“Nobody has higher expectations than us in that frickin’ room,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the Subway Series sweep. “We’re pissed off. We got to play better. This has gone on long enough. It’s very frustrating to go through. But I also know we’re competing our asses off. We just got to make sure we continue to walk in with the right level of edge and willingness to compete because no one’s going to pull us out of this but us.”

In the top of the ninth inning in a practically lost game, Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham sent every high school baseball coach in the country into a hysterical frenzy. The six-year veteran lazily tried to field a soft line drive, bobbled it and allowed Reds batter Spencer Steer to get to second base.

It was a fitting end to an 8-4 Yankees loss and a three-game series sweep for the Reds. Grisham, who is batting .157 in 83 at-bats this year, is, unfortunately, the least of this team’s problems at the moment. New York is now 54-35 and 2.5 games behind the Orioles in the A.L. East division.

The Yankees were in free fall a week ago, so it’s difficult to assess where they are now. The problems are exactly the same, making it unclear whether the team is still falling or if they’ve settled into a general malaise.

Juan Soto was typically brilliant against Cincinnati Thursday, hitting a two-run home run to get the Yankees within one in the fifth inning. Aaron Judge had a quiet day, going 0-for-4, but the slugger still leads MLB with an astounding 32 home runs before the All-Star Break.

As a small silver lining, rookie first baseman Ben Rice hit his first home run against Cincinnati, providing some much-needed pop in a largely anemic offense. That’s where the praise ends, however. The Yankees are categorically failing to live up to the immense record they’ve earned up to this point in the season.

Marcus Stroman is firmly one of many Yankees starters that have lost their touch this summer and allowed five runs in five innings against the Reds Thursday. He has allowed three or more runs in four straight starts and has only gone six innings or longer once since June 1.

To view this rough stretch in its totality, New York has lost 14 of its last 19 games, regressing in every area after a 49-22 start to the season. Gerrit Cole has returned but struggled, while the team lost consistent contributors like Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton to new injuries.

If not for a pedestrian couple of weeks for the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees would be well out of the divisional race at this point based on their performance. For now, their Wild Card spot is still secure, but even that is slowly slipping away as other teams like the Astros, Red Sox and Royals begin to rally.

Despite elite play from Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees have completely stalled in June. After a torrid start to the season, the team’s skid continued Wednesday when the Mets capped off a Subway Series sweep with a dominant 12-2 victory.

There’s always silver linings. Judge hit his 30th home run of the season Wednesday, accounting for both of the Yankees’ runs in the 12-2 loss. The night before, he hit a grand slam to tighten the score to two, though the Mets held on to win 9-7. Soto also hit a home run in the Tuesday game and is currently batting .305.

“It’s baseball,” Judge said after the loss Wednesday. “We play 162 of these things. You are going to have, throughout the season, good times, bad times. But we just have to keep showing up, keep working and we will be where we want to be.”

Judge, the team’s superstar in the midst of another historic season, may be patient as the Yankees struggle. Beyond their top pair, however, the Yankees are failing on a categorical level, proving inept at the plate and extremely shaky on the mound. They are 3-8 in their last 11 games and only a game ahead of the Orioles in the A.L. East division.

Two losses to the Mets would have been tougher to take a month ago, before the Yanks’ crosstown rivals rallied around the power of McDonald’s mascot Grimace and exploded back into playoff contention. Still, with Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil on the mound for two nights at Citi Field, a pair of crushing defeats was not an acceptable result.

In two starts since returning from injury, Cole has contributed to two Yankees losses and earned a 9.00 ERA. Gil, the rising star who took the league by storm through early June, has allowed 12 earned runs in his last two starts, a 17-5 Orioles victory and 12-2 Mets victory. His ERA has ballooned from 2.03 to 3.15 since June 20.

Key contributors around Judge and Soto in the lineup are also coming up woefully short. Third baseman D.J. LeMahieu is batting .172 in June and has proven highly inconsistent in the field. Gleyber Torres, who is playing for his spot on the team in many ways, is batting .176 in the same span. Sluggers Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton are both out with injuries.

The only reason New York still has control of the A.L. East is because Baltimore has also lost momentum in recent weeks. The team will be looking at a Wild Card spot within a week if it can’t turn things around.

Gerrit Cole’s return to the Yankees’ rotation could be extremely beneficial in the coming weeks, but his 2024 debut Wednesday night was largely forgettable. New York’s ace threw four innings and allowed two runs in a 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Orioles.

“I’m tired now,” Cole said after the game. “Certainly a different level. It just demands a higher level of focus and execution. I definitely felt I could keep making pitches, but it was strategic in the pitch count. And, certainly, in that regard we executed that perfectly.”

Cole was on a tight pitch count in his first game back from a lingering elbow ailment, exiting the game after 62 pitches. He failed to get an out in the fifth inning, allowing a Cedric Mullins single and opening the door for the Orioles to take a 4-1 lead against reliever Ron Marinaccio later in the inning.

“I felt pretty good,” Cole said of his performance. “Good command for the most part. And made some good pitches when we needed to make some good pitches.”

The Yankees fought back later in the game to tie it 6-6, but the bullpen finally cracked in the 10th inning. Star relief pitcher Clay Holmes allowed the automatic runner to score and then let in an unearned run on a throwing error. New York scored in the bottom of the frame but could not get even.

Despite making several rehab starts in the minor leagues, Cole was in deep company against the Orioles, the Yankees’ current arch-rivals in the race for the A.L. East division title, in his MLB return. The reigning A.L. Cy Young winner performed solidly under the circumstances.

It would require a dramatic collapse later this season for New York to miss the playoffs, and the hope is that Cole regains his usual form over the summer and makes a difference for the team in the postseason.

The Yankees had kept their Wednesday starter under wraps until Sunday, listing it as “TBA.” Manager Aaron Boone indicated the team was considering Cole and Cody Poteet, with Cole always being the likely choice to face the second-place Orioles, who trail the Yankees by just 1½ games in the AL East.

Cole’s return comes at a crucial time for the Yankees, who have thrived in his absence. Despite concerns over their starting pitching, the Yankees’ rotation has performed exceptionally well, boasting the lowest ERA in the majors entering Monday.

Luis Gil, Cole’s temporary replacement and an early favorite for the American League Rookie of the Year, has spearheaded this success. Gil, a 26-year-old right-hander, has been stellar with a 9-1 record and an AL-best 2.03 ERA in 14 starts, despite leading the majors in walks.

Cole’s comeback will see him replace Poteet in the rotation. Poteet has been a stand-in, making three starts for the Yankees and allowing five runs (four earned) over 15 innings while filling in for Clarke Schmidt, who is currently on the injured list with a lat strain.

The timing of Cole’s return is significant as the Yankees look to maintain their lead in a competitive AL East. His performance on Wednesday will be closely watched as the team seeks to fortify its pitching staff for a deep postseason run.

For the Yankees, Cole’s return signifies the reinstatement of their ace, a component in their quest for a championship win. As he takes the mound against the Orioles, all eyes will be on Cole to see if he can recapture his Cy Young form and lead the Yankees in this pivotal divisional showdown.

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will face off for the first time this season in a three-game series at Fenway Park this weekend. This marks a late start to their storied rivalry, thanks to MLB’s new and more balanced schedule that has spread out divisional matchups.

This series will be noteworthy for Alex Verdugo, who will make his first return to Fenway Park after being traded to the Yankees in the offseason. New York acquired Verdugo in exchange for three pitching prospects in a rare transaction between the rivals. The outfielder has posted a solid .261/.317/.432 line with stellar defense in 2024, following a four-year stint with Boston, where he slashed .281/.338/.424.

Verdugo expressed mixed emotions about his return to Fenway, unsure if he will be greeted with cheers or boos from Red Sox fans, “I’m open to whatever they do,” he told MassLive. Reflecting on his time in Boston, Verdugo desired a more aggressive approach at past trade deadlines, especially after the team’s successful 2021 campaign.

“I really loved the organization,” Verdugo said. “I really loved wearing the Red Sox jersey and playing for my teammates. It was more of just wanting to be in a winning atmosphere. When we won in ’21, that was one of the most fun years of my life and it’s because we had a winning team. We went to the ALCS. When you’re winning in Boston, those fans and everything, it feels special out there.”

Verdugo’s comments highlight a period of frustration for Red Sox fans and players alike. In 2022 and 2023, Boston was within striking distance of a wild-card spot at the trade deadlines but made only modest moves. The indecisive approach contributed to the eventual dismissal of lead executive Chaim Bloom last September.

The 2020 trade that brought Verdugo to Boston and Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers placed expectations on him. Despite flashes of brilliance, Verdugo’s tenure displayed inconsistency and issues such as poor baserunning and tardiness, which led to his benching last season.

Since joining the Yankees, Verdugo has avoided such controversies, likely motivated by his impending free agency. During his introductory press conference, he praised Yankees manager Aaron Boone, subtly contrasting Boone’s approach with that of Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

With Verdugo’s contribution, the Yankees sit atop the AL East with a 46-21 record. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are in third place at 33-33, trailing the third wild-card spot by 1.5 games as the two teams prepare for their first clash of the season.

New York Yankees ace pitcher Gerrit Cole made his first rehab start Tuesday evening, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the team’s Double-A affiliate. Cole will likely make several more starts in the minors on a loosening pitch count before he returns to the roster.

Pitching for the Somerset Patriots Tuesday, Cole threw just 45 pitches, striking out five batters and allowing two hits in the outing. He told reporters after the game that he felt “close” to a return from nerve inflammation he sustained during spring training earlier this year.

Before Cole’s rehab start, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Cole’s progress and eventual timetable for return will depend on the manner in which he continues to recover. Regardless of whether he returns early, he will be on a tight but slightly increasing pitch count each time he plays.

“It just depends,” Boone said about Cole’s potential return, according to MLB.com. “Do we want to bring him in a situation where he’s at 60, 65, 70 pitches? Do we want him to have one more (rehab start)? We’ll have a better feel for that, and certainly Gerrit will have a better feel for that as he now goes and starts pitching in games.”

Despite Cole’s absence, the Yankees have thrived in the 2024 season and should only benefit further from his return. Young star Luis Gil has been brilliant on the mound and is currently in contention for Rookie of the Year honors while sluggers Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been spectacular at the plate. The team is currently 44-19 and lead the A.L. East division.

With such strong results already this season, the Yankees should be in an excellent position later this summer when their A.L. Cy Young winner returns to the rotation. Nearing a return after months of recovery, Cole is still patient.

“We’ll take it start by start, just like we have the whole time,” Cole said. “It was a good day yesterday, so very encouraged.”

The New York Yankees overcame a strange interference call in the first inning to defeat the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday. The controversial early play involving Juan Soto was the highlight of an uneventful 2-1 Yankees victory.

With runners on first and second in the top of the first, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit a fly ball directly above second base. Umpire Vic Carapazza called Stanton out on an infield fly.

Though Stanton was already out, Angels shortstop Zach Neto made a play on the ball anyway. While he was waiting underneath it, Soto collided with Neto and sent him to the ground while trying to return to second base. Carapazza called Soto out on interference in a bizarre double play. New York did not score in the inning.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was irate and argued with Carapazza until he was ejected. The umpire stood by the call, however, reciting the rule book verbatim after the game. Runners are only protected from interference calls on infield fly plays when they are already on base, making Soto guilty of interference regardless of whether Stanton was already out or not.

After the game, Boone acknowledged that Carapazza probably made the right call, but also complained that there was nothing Soto could have done to avoid interference.

“I don’t know what Juan [is supposed to do],” Boone said. “You can say, ‘He’d better get there,’ but once he commits to getting there and he’s trying to stay out of the way, if Neto catches it, he might catch it on the bag for a double play. It’s like, ‘Where do you go?’ So, obviously a tough way to start things when you load the bases there in the first inning and you’ve got a really good pitcher on the ropes.”

Despite the “wonky call,” to use Boone’s words, the Yankees managed to scrap together two runs on six hits during the game and defeat the Angels. New York starting pitcher Luis Gil threw an eight-inning gem, allowing one run on two hits and striking out nine batters. The Yankees improved to 38-19 on the season, giving them a 1.5-game lead over the Orioles in the A.L. East division.

The New York Yankees finalized a trade with the San Diego Padres to acquire star outfielder Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. New York gave up five players in the deal, including two promising prospects.

While the long-term impact of the deal will not be known for some time, the immediate effect is clear. Many Yankees fans who have been clamoring for Soto for years will now see the 25-year-old don pinstripes alongside 2022 MVP Aaron Judge. The blockbuster deal had a massive impact on betting lines, as New York is now the third choice to win the 2024 World Series.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Soto before the trade went through, identifying him as an exceptionally precocious player.

“He’s as good an offensive player as there is,” Boone told reporters. “He is a machine offensively — on base, power, and has accomplished a ton already at a young age.”

Since joining the league in 2018, five months before his 20th birthday, Soto has been named an All-Star three times and won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019. The Padres acquired Soto in a massive trade with the Washington Nationals in 2022 and advanced to the NLCS that same year. The team struggled in 2023, however, and missed the playoffs.

Though Soto is on the Yankees and excitement is building for now, it will not be long before his status comes into question again. With just a year remaining on his contract, New York can either utilize him as a short-term rental in an attempt to win a championship or extend him in a lucrative deal. Otherwise, Soto will enter free agency for the first time in his MLB career in 2024.

The Yankees do not often turn to short-term acquisitions and have proven comfortable spending to keep players for extended periods. Just last offseason, New York resigned Judge to a nine-year, $360 million contract. The team has previously spared no expense to recruit stars like Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton.

Soto, obviously, has the final say, but if the price is right next year, MLB’s perennial rising star may be in the Bronx for good.