It’s another day, another drama in the Bronx! Previously, it was their lineup marred by player injuries, and now, with the absence of Juan Soto, they have a lot to decide. While the New York Yankees are trying to expand their portfolio after leading the majors in 2024, in terms of homers, they are still one of the worst base-running teams in MLB, as specified by the Fangraphs metric.

This current year sees the Yankees going with a revamp, as they will be without Gianca Stanton, Juan Soto, and Gleyber Torres—who used to be the worst base runners on the team. Other than that, Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo are also gone, which led to an MLB insider giving them such much-need advice. Before moving down into more details, let’s have a look at Juan Soto’s record with the Yankees.

Juan Soto hit 41 home runs for the Yankees last season, and no player has done it earlier while playing for both teams. However, Soto was a mediocre baserunner and a fielder. With his absence from the team now, MLB insider and writer Joel Sherman made a bold statement on March 15. He said, “Without Soto and Stanton, the Yankees are going to have to diversify their offense. The record for 1 team is 3 players with 20-20 seasons.”

Sherman questioned whether the Yankees can still make it or not. However, amid their absence, Anthony Volpe has been running great, and his base running looked solid as of now, although not spectacular. But that’s not all!

Even Jose Trevino and Rizzo had slow speeds, even slower than that of Giancarlo Stanton, who had been injured. Now DJ LeMahieu, another player with problems in his legs, also barely managed to run, highlighting the lack of good base runners. However, with Joel Sherman’s advice on diversifying the roster, the New York Yankees could look at Jazz Chisholm Jr., who had a good run in 2023, where he had a.256 average and posted 24 home runs along with 73 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. He has been really good in the outfield, and the Yankees should probably look at him, hoping to make things work with a new and diversified roster.

A silver lining for the Yankees despite being rattled by injuries

While there’s a need to diversify the roster for the New York Yankees, there’s a silver lining amid the rough 2025 campaign that’s been shaping up for them. Right after reaching the World Series and making some good additions this offseason, the Yankees’ lineup has been marred by a series of injuries. Notable mentions include Gerrit Cole, who is expected to miss the entire season due to Tommy John’s surgery, Luis Gil injured with a lat strain, and Giancarlo Stanton out due to an elbow injury.

However, there’s good news—young players might get into play, and that’s definitely something the fans will be looking for, isn’t it? Given that they have Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells, and Anthony Volpe, who can breathe some much-needed fresh air for the team. There’s Ben Rice as well, who can make a lot of contributions.

But the top prospect remains the 22-year-old Jasson Dominguez, who has shown promise with six home runs and an equivalent number of stolen bases, despite having only 26 major league games under his belt. With players like Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo gone, the Yankees could play Dominguez in the outfield and allow Ben Rice to be at-bats.

Who, according to you, may replace Juan Soto and turn the fate for the New York Yankees? Let us know in the comment section below.