
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto named NL All-Stars; Yusei Kikuchi to represent Halos
They'll suit up alongside the NL's leading vote-getter in Shohei Ohtani, first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith, all three of whom were picked by the fans as starters.
Clayton Kershaw salutes the crowd after delivering the 3000th strikeout of his career in a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 2, 2025.
Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images
It's Kershaw's 11th All-Star Game, his first since 2023, and Yamamoto's first-ever selection, though he selected to five Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Games between 2018 and 2023, before joining the Dodgers.
Even though he's only started nine games so far this season, Kershaw made history in his most recent start by securing his 3,000th career strikeout. He sports a 4-0 record with a 3.43 ERA and 32 Ks in just over 44 innings pitched.
His selection comes at the hands of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who named Kershaw as the 65th All-Star with the "Legend Pick," the first since 2022 when it was used on both Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols.
Yamamoto, on the other hand, has been the Dodgers most consistent starter. In 17 starts, Yamamoto has 96 and 2/3 innings pitched with 109 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA. He was one of Major League Baseball's six National League picks.
The Dodgers lead the way in All-Star selections with five, followed by the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners, who have four selections each.
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi #16 delivers a pitch during the MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta Braves on July 02, 2025 at TRUIST Park.
Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In the American League, the Angels will be represented by starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who last appeared in the All-Star Game in 2021 with the Mariners. He is a three-time NPB All-Star, last appearing in the game in 2018, the season before he signed with Seattle out of Japan.
Kikuchi was one of MLB's six American League picks, thanks in large part to his strong showing to start the 2025 campaign. In 18 starts, he has a 2.81 ERA and 106 strikeouts.
2025 All-Star Game rosters
The 2025 All-Star Game, the 95th in MLB history, is slated to take place on Tuesday, July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The National League and American League rosters are subject to change pending player decision, injury and other factors. The full rosters as of Sunday are:
National League
Starting lineup
C - Will Smith (Dodgers, third selection)
1B - Freddie Freeman (Dodgers, ninth selection)
2B - Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks, third selection)
3B - Manny Machado (San Diego Padres, seventh selection)
SS - Francisco Lindor (New York Mets, fifth selection)
OF - Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves, fifth selection)
OF - Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs, first selection)
OF - Kyle Tucker (Cubs, fourth selection)
DH - Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers, fifth selection)
Pitching staff
P - Jason Adam (Padres, first selection)
P - Matthew Boyd (Cubs, first selection)
P - Edwin Díaz (Mets, third selection)
P - MacKenzie Gore (Washington Nationals, first selection)
P - Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers, eleventh selection)
P - Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee Brewers, second selection)
P - Robbie Ray (San Francisco Giants, second selection)
P - Randy Rodriguez (Giants, first selection)
P - Chris Sale (Braves, ninth selection)
P - Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates, second selection)
P - Logan Webb (Giants, second selection)
P - Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies, third selection)
P - Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers, first selection)
Reserve selections
C - Hunter Goodman (Colorado Rockies, first selection)
IF - Pete Alonso (Mets, fifth selection)
IF - Elly De La Cruz (Cincinnati Reds, second selection)
IF - Brendan Donovan (St. Louis Cardinals, first selection)
IF - Matt Olson (Braves, third selection)
IF - Eugenio Suárez (Diamondbacks, second selection)
OF - Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks, second selection)
OF - Kyle Stowers (Miami Marlins, first selection)
OF - Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres, third selection)
OF - James Wood (Nationals, first selection)
DH - Kyle Schwarber (Phillies, third selection)
American League
Starting lineup
C - Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners, first selection)
1B - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays, fourth selection)
2B - Gleyber Torres (Detroit Tigers, first selection)
3B - José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians, seventh selection)
SS - Jacob Wilson (Athletics, first selection)
OF - Aaron Judge (New York Yankees, seventh selection)
OF - Riley Greene (Tigers, first selection)
OF - Javier Báez (Tigers, third selection)
DH - Ryan O'Hearn (Baltimore Orioles, first selection)
Pitching staff
P - Hunter Brown (Houston Astros, first selection)
P - Kris Bubic (Kansas City Royals, first selection)
P - Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox, eighth selection)
P - Garrett Crochet (Red Sox, second selection)
P - Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers, fifth selection)
P - Max Fried (Yankees, third selection)
P - Josh Hader (Astros, sixth selection)
P - Yusei Kikuchi (Angels, second selection)
P - Andrés Munoz (Mariners, second selection)
P - Tarik Skubal (Tigers, second selection)
P - Shane Smith (Chicago White Sox, first selection)
P - Bryan Woo (Mariners, first selection)
Reserve selections
C - Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays, second selection)
IF - Jonathan Aranda (Tampa Bay Rays, first selection)
IF - Alex Bregman (Red Sox, third selection)
IF - Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees, second selection)
IF - Brandon Lowe (Rays, second selection)
IF - Jeremy Peña (Astros, first selection)
IF - Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals, second selection)
OF - Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins, second selection)
OF - Steven Kwan (Guardians, second selection)
OF - Julio Rodríguez (Mariners, third selection)
DH - Brent Rooker (Athletics, second selection)
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New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Scouting Cam Schlittler, Konnor Griffin, Justin Crawford, Vance Honeycutt and more
The Yankees are calling up Cam Schlittler to make his major-league debut on Tuesday night against Seattle, replacing Clarke Schmidt in their rotation. They're doing so after one of the worst outings of Schlittler's professional career, which came for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 2 at Lehigh Valley. He gave up seven runs in the third inning before departing with one out, and looked like he gave up before he even left the game. Advertisement Schlittler was 95-98 in his outing at Lehigh Valley, throwing his 89-93 mph cutter as often as he did the four-seamer, mixing in a handful of sweepers and curveballs as well. Beyond the fastball's velocity, he didn't have anything that was even above-average, and the second time through the order he got hit around, without much help behind him — the inning started with a groundball single and a runner reaching on an error by the shortstop, after which Schlittler gave up a bunt single, a non-competitive walk, and then a first-pitch grand slam to Payton Henry on a hanging sweeper that didn't sweep. The homer was loud, but it was the only hard contact of the inning. After the grand slam, Schlittler started looking into the dugout repeatedly, which I interpreted as him hoping the manager was going to come to the mound and take him out of the game. Schlittler's tall and lean with an arm slot a little above three-quarters and a slight cutoff in his landing, all of which contributes to his tendency to pitch much more to his arm side. He barely threw anything at all inside to lefties and he doesn't have a changeup or splitter to keep them off the heater. He's had no platoon split at all this year, however, so he's getting it done some other way — just not in this start. I can see the starter profile here, but without an out-pitch he looks more like a back-end guy, and I worry he'll be homer-prone or at least prone to hard contact in the majors. Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford had a couple of hits for Lehigh Valley in the July 2 game and showed some real judgment at the plate, but man, I don't know why or how he is still hitting with his hands starting out so high. It's why he's still rocking a 61 percent groundball rate, despite plenty of strength to hit for some real in-game power. He's currently hitting .343/.416/.451, so I suppose it seems odd to complain about his swing, but you can see there's no power in there — and that his slugging percentage is inflated by his speed grabbing some extra bases. Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones homered on a hanging curveball, with an EV of 108 mph, and walked a couple of times, while whiffing on several better breaking balls in the July 2 game. He's changed his stance to try to mimic Aaron Judge, which, OK, but I don't think that addresses the giant holes in his approach. He's struck out 12 times in 40 PA since his promotion to Triple A, for a 30 percent K-rate, with the benefit of the ABS challenge system (which has produced higher walk rates and lower strikeout rates at that level compared to Double A). Advertisement He's still got elite power and is a great athlete, but it's a 40 hit tool (on the 20-80 scouting scale). I've gotten a lot of questions about Yankees infielder/catcher Jesus Rodriguez, as he's hit .315/.412/.407 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year, splitting time between the backstop and third base. He was at the hot corner in this game and played it well, with really good hands, even though he's got a catcher's body with a thicker lower half and doesn't look that quick off his feet. He's got a flat swing that's geared towards contact of any sort; he had two hits in this game, neither hard-hit, and he struck out twice. He doesn't have much power and the swing isn't going to put the ball in the air much at all. If he can catch, he's at least a little bit interesting, but his bat isn't going to play at third base, even if his body allows it. Yankees outfield prospect Everson Pereira is pretty much stuck in neutral at this point. He's got power and is a plus defender, but breaking stuff has killed him this year. I did see him get a pair of hits on sliders in this game, including a 'double' off the top of the center field wall — I think it was out — that he hit off a slider down and away, but on the year he's whiffed 47 percent of the time he's swung at breaking pitches of all types. Maybe a change of scenery helps him; there's a decent extra outfielder in here if he can reduce that very clear weakness. The Phillies picked up right-hander Ryan Cusick, a first-rounder back in 2021, off waivers at the end of June, and I caught his Triple-A debut, where he threw a scoreless inning. He was 94-96 on the four-seamer, 90-91 on the sinker, with an occasional slider, and was sort of around the plate, enough to say maybe he could pop up later this year as the last man in the major-league bullpen. Then he gave up a five-spot on Sunday, so maybe not. Advertisement Over the weekend, I saw the Pirates' High-A affiliate, Greensboro, play a pair of games at Aberdeen. It allowed me to get my first extended look at the Pirates 2024 first-rounder, shortstop Konnor Griffin. He struck out three times on Saturday, cutting right through 91-92 in the zone, then had three hits on Sunday, one of them a hard-hit double the other way against a reliever in the ninth inning, along with a bunt attempt he popped right up to the pitcher. (Whoever called for that bunt should walk the plank.) Griffin still bars his lead arm, making up for it right now because he starts his hands so quickly and is strong enough to rip the bat through the zone, but I worry about him adjusting against better pitchers who can change speeds more on him where he's already committed to a path because of that locked elbow. He was substantially better at shortstop than I expected, with a quick first step and good hands, along with the plus-plus arm he showed as a pitcher in high school. Sunday's game was a pitching debacle; the final score was 13-7 and Greensboro had 15 hits and drew five walks. Griffin's performance this year has been incredible for a teenager from Mississippi whose biggest question as an amateur was whether he could hit at all. There are some reasons for caution going forward, and I hope the Pirates let him spend most or all of the summer in High A rather than rushing him to Double-A Altoona. Shortstop Javier Rivas took over the six spot on Sunday, with Griffin DHing, and ended up with a four-hit day that included a grand slam on a hanging slider and a hustle double on a bloop to right. He's 6-foot-6 and strong, too big for shortstop, and he's super-aggressive at the plate, with a 44 percent chase rate on the season and just 16 walks in 302 PA. The power is legit and he actually has a better approach than you might expect, enough that he could end up a good utility infielder held back by sub-.300 OBPs. Right-handed pitching prospect Carlson Reed started Sunday's game, but he didn't look right at all as he continues to try to return from a back injury that cost him the first month and a half of this season. Reed topped out at 93, sat 89-91, with poor command and nothing above-average. He faced 12 batters, recording just five outs, walking four and allowing two homers. Advertisement The Pirates acquired Keiner Delgado from the Yankees last year for JT Brubaker, and the fun-sized infielder — Delgado is listed at 5-7, 145, although that weight has to be very old — has bounced back from a bad 2024 season to hit .247/.370/.411 as a 21-year-old in High A. He looked really good at third base — you might call it Keiner's corner — with excellent hands and a surprisingly strong arm. He's a switch-hitter but I only saw him hit left-handed, where he's got a short swing that's all about putting the bat on the ball in any way he can. A couple of sliders coming in towards his shins got him, while he inside-outed a couple of balls in but more up towards his midsection. He might be a utility infielder of a different sort than Rivas, one who makes contact and gets on base but without much power. Outfield prospect Lonnie White, Jr. is still striking out 37.7 percent of the time, repeating High A this year at age 22, but this is the first time I've seen him look fully healthy since his draft year back in 2021. He is moving and running well, showing some bat speed again, and hitting .237/.335/.424. There's almost no chance a hitter with this kind of whiff rate sees real major-league time; I mention him because he's missed so many games with injuries that it's notable that he's doing anything at all this year, and at least now I could see him getting to Triple A and hanging around as a solid defensive center fielder with some pop. The Orioles' 2024 draft class is off to about as bad of a start as you can imagine, particularly the hitters they took to start off the group. I've seen that quintet — Vance Honeycutt, Griff O'Ferrall, Ethan Anderson, Austin Overn and Ryan Stafford — several times this year, and I don't think any of them is more than an up-and-down guy right now. Honeycutt, the first-rounder, did homer on Sunday, just his third of the year, but it was a high pop fly to left that the wind carried out. He just doesn't seem to see the ball at all out of the pitcher's hand, and has struck out in 40 percent of his PA this year. O'Ferrall is the most mystifying one to me, as he continues to try to lift and pull everything when that's not the type of hitter he is — he's not built like that, and has the contact skills to hit for some average by using the whole field and eschewing power. I think at this point the best prospect from their 2024 draft is outfielder Nate George, a high schooler they selected in the 16th round about whom I wrote a few weeks ago, and who is one of their only 2024 picks who's performing this year. Baltimore took right-hander Carter Baumler in the 2020 draft and paid him well over slot to buy him out of a scholarship to TCU, using some of the savings from going well under slot at the second pick with Heston Kjerstad. (They used the rest of the savings to sign Coby Mayo.) Baumler has been hurt more than he's been healthy, undergoing Tommy John surgery before he ever threw a professional pitch, then throwing just 11 2/3 innings in his pro debut in 2022. Advertisement He's at 71 1/3 career innings now, but the good news is the stuff is pretty good for a reliever, 94-95 with at least an average curveball, and the delivery works enough for him to get to 45 (on the 20-80 scouting scale) or maybe eventually 50 control. His 22 1/3 innings this year is a career high, but I'd just keep moving him up the system while he's healthy, especially since they'll have to decide whether to protect him this winter from the Rule 5 draft. Right-handed pitching prospect Zach Fruit started Saturday's game for Aberdeen, his first appearance since he went on the IL in Double A in late April with a lat strain. He was 94-98 with a cutter and slider, good extension to get the ball in on hitters quickly, but the stuff slipped a little across the board in the fourth inning, after which they pulled him. Right-hander Michael Forret replaced him and was 94-96 with a meh slider and more-meh changeup, cutting himself off very badly in his delivery. He left the game due to an unknown injury — he was hit in the leg by a comebacker in his first inning, but stayed in long enough to face 10 batters. Both project as relievers, with Fruit the better of the two. I've mentioned Aron Estrada before, but the Orioles infielder is probably always going to be underrated, at least until he starts showing some power. He's a good hitter, though, with a smart approach and pretty simple swing that puts the ball in play a ton. He started Sunday's game, dead-pulled a homer to right (without the benefit of the wind) on a 91-mph fastball, and then later smoked a ball to the center field warning track. He's played six positions for Aberdeen this year, mostly second base and left field, and he's at least a 55 runner. He's going to play in the majors, maybe always as a backup, but I bet he sticks around for a while, and since he won't turn 21 until January he does have time (if not a lot of projection) to add a little more strength. (Top photo of Schlittler: George Kubas / Diamond Images via Getty Images)


Forbes
23 minutes ago
- Forbes
These Major League Baseball All Star Rosters Are Loaded With Talent
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 04: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates a solo home run ... More against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field on July 04, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by) The 2025 Major League Baseball All Star Game will be played July 15 at Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves. The game is set to begin at 8 PM Eastern Time, and will be shown on FOX. Fans will remember that Atlanta was set to host the 2021 All Star Game, but the game was moved from Atlanta in protest of Georgia's restrictive voting laws. In a statement explaining the move, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred noted: 'I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year's All Star Game and the MLB Draft.' The 2021 game was moved to Coors Field in Colorado. It must be noted that every MLB must be represented in the All Star Game. 2025 All Star Game Rosters: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 04: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with teammate ... More after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at T-Mobile Park on July 04, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by) AMERICAN LEAGUE STARTERS: C-Cal Raleigh (Seattle) 1B-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto) 2B- Gleyber Torres (Detroit) 3B- Jose Ramirez (Cleveland) SS- Jacob Wilson (Athletics) OF- Aaron Judge (New York) OF- Riley Greene (Detroit) OF- Javier Baez (Detroit) DH- Ryan O'Hearn (Baltimore) MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 25: Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his single ... More against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Target Field on June 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Mariners 2-0. (Photo by) AMERICAN LEAGUE RESERVES: C- Alejandro Kirk (Toronto) INF- Jonathan Aranda (Tampa Bay) INF- Alex Bregman (Boston) INF- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (New York) INF- Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City) OF- Byron Buxton (Minnesota) OF- Julio Rodriguez (Seattle) OF- Brent Rooker (Athletics) DETROIT, MI - JUNE 24: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Athletics during ... More the first inning at Comerica Park on June 24, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by) AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHERS: RHP- Hunter Brown (Houston) LHP- Kris Bubic (Kansas City) LHP- Garrett Crochet (Boston) RHP- Jacob deGrom (Texas) LHP- Max Fried (New York) LHP- Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels) LHP- Tarik Skubal (Detroit) RHP- Shane Smith (Chicago White Sox) RHP- Bryan Woo (Seattle) LHP- Aroldis Chapman (Boston) LHP- Josh Hader (Houston) RHP- Andres Munoz (Seattle) PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 9: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Chicago Cubs high fives teammates in the ... More dugout after hitting a solo home run in the top of the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 9, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by) NATIONAL LEAGUE STARTERS: C- Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers) 1B- Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) 2B- Ketel Marte (Arizona) 3B -Manny Machado (San Diego) SS- Francisco Lindor (New York Mets) OF- Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta) OF- Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs) OF- Kyle Tucker (Chicago Cubs) DH- Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 5: Kyle Stowers #28 of the Miami Marlins rounds the bases after hitting a home ... More run in the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at loanDepot park on July 5, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/) NATIONAL LEAGUE RESERVES: C-Hunter Goodman (Colorado) INF-Pete Alonso (New York Mets) INF-Elly De La Cruz (Cincinnati) INF-Brendan Donovan (St. Louis) INF Matt Olson (Atlanta) INF-Eugenio Suarez (Arizona) OF- Corbin Carroll (Arizona) OF- Kyle Stowers (Miami) Of- Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego) OF- James Wood (Washington) DH- Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 14: Matthew Boyd #16 of the Chicago Cubs throws to first base for an out ... More during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on June 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by) NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHERS: LHP- Matthew Boyd-Chicago Cubs LHP- MacKenzie Gore-Washington LHP Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers) Noted As the Legend Pick RHP-Freddie Peralta (Milwaukee) LHP-Robbie Ray (San Francisco) LHP- Chris Sale (Atlanta) RHP- Paul Skeens (Pittsburgh) RHP -Logan Webb (San Francisco) RHP- Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia) RHP-Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers RHP-Jason Adams (San Diego) RHP-Edwin Diaz (New York Mets) RHP- Randy Rodriguez (San Francisco) DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 24: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies scores on a Michael Toglia ... More triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Coors Field on June 24, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by) This Old Scout's Random Thoughts: 1- Lefty Matthew Boyd making the team is a tremendous accomplishment. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, he pitched for Cleveland last year, and was outstanding. He signed with the Cubs as a free agent. 2- The highest paid player in MLB, Juan Soto has not made the team. Perhaps he will be a substitute in the event of injury. 3- Casual fans will be introduced to the Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong, one of the most exciting players in the game. 4- Cleveland Guardians closer, Emmanuel Clase did not make the team. He has scuffled some this year, after having a career year in 2024. 5- Fans may have never seen the Marlins Kyle Stowers play. He has awesome power, and if he gets his pitch, he can change a game. 6- Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman is a bit of a hidden gem. A very good player, he will represent the Rockies very well. 7- Fans watching or listening to the game should listen for the very loud grunts when the Giants Robbie Ray throws a pitch. He doesn't always do it, but when he does, you'll know. 8- This old scout is hoping for changes in the format of the MLB All Star Home Run Derby. It goes on too long. And frankly, it gets a bit boring. 9- Aroldis Chapman is still serving up heat, and getting batters out. He's back as an All Star. Here's hoping this is an epic All Star Classic, at the home of the Atlanta Braves.


Newsweek
23 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Yankees Managerial Situation 'Worth Monitoring' With Aaron Boone's Future Uncertain
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Yankees' poor stretch of play didn't end when the calendar flipped from June to July. While there is still a lot of time left, fans are becoming more frustrated with each loss. Fingers are starting to be pointed, and manager Aaron Boone is the biggest recipient of the finger pointing. CBS Sports writer Dayn Perry mentions the situation is still developing. TORONTO, ON - JULY 3: Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in their MLB... TORONTO, ON - JULY 3: Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on July 3, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. More"Suffice it to say, this would be a headline-grabber, which means it's probably not going to happen," wrote Perry. "Even so, it's worth pondering given that the Yankees recently lost their division lead to the Blue Jays in the American League East and are presently tied with the Rays for second place (and thus in grave peril of slipping into third place). Boone's Yanks are still in playoff position, yes, but they're on unsure footing thanks largely to their 14-19 mark since June 1." The Yankees are 3-7 in their last 10 games as the Blue Jays sweep left a sour taste in their mouths. There are still six more games before the All-Star break for the Bronx Bombers to find some momentum, but it doesn't erase the pressure from the season. "It's a high-pressure season in the Bronx, as the Yankees aspire to return to the World Series -- and win it for the first time since 2009 -- and also prove that Juan Soto's free-agent departure for the Mets didn't derail them," wrote Perry. "For a while, they were checking those boxes, but lately that hasn't been the case. The injury-battered rotation doesn't help matters, and if the Yankees continue their recent struggles then Boone's job security might be compromised. Again, he's probably safe, at least until the offseason, but the Yankees' recent struggles make this worth monitoring." Given the Yankees' expectations regarding winning, Boone's seat in the clubhouse is starting to warm up. If the Yankees somehow miss the playoffs, he's as good as gone the day after the regular season ends. More MLB: MLB Insider Goes on Rant About Yankees Firing Aaron Boone for Not Being 'Tough Enough'