Last year, the Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, defended Anthony Volpe despite his struggles throughout the season. This time, Boone is doing the same, but Ryan McMahon took Volpe’s place. McMahon is currently standing with a meagre .119 average and yet to hit a home run. He couldn’t make a hit from his 3 at-bats against the Angels on Wednesday.

Despite this, Boone thinks McMahon is just a moment away from his best, which, expectedly, the Yankees nation is not ready to accept.

“He’s got a lot of talent and a lot of ability – he’s working on some things right now that are taking hold,” Boone said on McMahon’s offense.

Early-season slump is common in MLB, but the Yankees have already played 18 games. Struggling to score a homer from these 18 games is what makes the fans wonder if McMahon would get back to his prime. Even last year with the Yankees was no different. For reference, since joining the Yankees in July, McMahon has struggled to adapt. In 54 games last year, he batted just .208 with only 4 homers, failing to take advantage of the stadium’s “short porch” in right field.

So, for the fans, McMahon’s struggle at the plate is not a one-off case, but it’s the same since he joined the Bombers. Moreover, if we compare his career stats, the Yankees fans have very few reasons to cheer. For instance, McMahon was never a .300 hitter in his career. 2022 was his best year in terms of offense when he hit .246/.327/.414 with a 97 wRC+.

So, when .246 is the best figure for Ryan McMahon, fans wonder what Boone means when he says that the third baseman is doing “some things right now that are taking hold.”

And for all these struggling numbers, the Yankees agreed to absorb $16 million for 2026 and 2027 each from the Rockies ($70 million) to land McMahon. That’s $32 million for a player who is producing .119! In comparison, the Blue Jays are paying $60 million for 4 years to Kazuma Okamoto ($15 million AAV), and he is hitting .213 with 2 HRs.

Still, Boone is going all-out defending his third baseman. Just after McMahon batted .077 in his first 10 games this year, Boone said, “I mean, Mac’s a good major league hitter. It’s 10 games in, okay? He’s scuffling right now, but the reality is, the last 3 games, he’s been on base 4 times too with walks and hits and big at-bats.”

Hence, the Yankees front office is behind their struggling slugger, but the fans? They are not, and going by their social media reactions, Boone’s defense might not prove effective enough in convincing them.

Yankees fans are not buying Boone’s optimism

Why can’t the Yankees front office acknowledge the limitations of their players? Fans wonder. “Why do these coaches always have to be in denial about how stupid they were for signing or trading for this guy? News flash. He’s not a good fit for the Yankees. So stupid,” one fan said.

Last year, Volpe was struggling both offensively and defensively. He finished with a league-leading 19 errors and a .212 average. Still, Boone promoted him as the team’s starting shortstop over other options. Still, Volpe was a homegrown talent, but McMahon was a trade piece. So, the fans wonder why can’t the managers can’t admit their wrong choice in trading.

And with how McMahon performed in the spring, it hints enough about his adaptability issue with the Yankees. “He legit had all of spring training and the offseason to do all this. What a joke,” another fan said.

McMahon had a .170 average in the spring with only 4 RBIs from 17 games. Surely, we wonder what made the Yankees still promote him to the active roster for the hot corner. Especially when sluggers like Amed Rosario and Jasson Dominguez are available.

“He has no talent. Dumpster diving Yankees. That is how the Cashman and Boone era will be remembered,” another user added. Last year, the Yankees front office had a failed experiment with Marcus Stroman.  Despite signing him to a two-year, $37 million deal, his career with the Yankees concluded with a 4.69 ERA. Fans think McMahon is going in the same direction.

“He does have lots of talent, on defense. Almost anyone has more talent with the bat, and that’s always been how it is. Tough to imagine it changes,” one more user said. “The only talent he has is with his glove, the dude is an auto out at the plate, he stinks!” Another agrees.

The stats just take a U-turn when McMahon guards the third base. Since 2017, he has 66 DRS and 46 OAA, which proves his defensive skill. In addition, last year, he had 10 DRS and 6 OAA. So, the Yankees may have found a reliable glove at third base, but offense? That’s questionable.

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