Who’d have guessed that rest would become a bad thing? But that is exactly what has happened in MLB since 2022. That was the year when the Wild Card games turned into the Wild Card series, which inevitably led to the top-seeded teams getting a 5-day rest. While after 162 games, a rest sounds nice, it also had the undesirable effect of the teams losing their momentum. New York Yankees are the one team that bucked that trend but even then Alex Verdugo feels the 5-day rest isn’t easy.

Since 2022, there have been 8 Divisional Series games. However, in those 8 games, only 3 times has the team that won that Bye won. The Yankees won in 2022 and the other two wins were by the Houston Astros in 2022 and 2023. Perhaps that’s why despite getting a bye, the Bronx Bombers are planning on continuing their intense training to not lose their edge. Alex Verdugo and Aaron Boone revealed this in their recent interview.

“It’s a little bit tougher,” Verdugo said about dealing with this 5-day long break. “It’s kind of like another All-Star break, so we’re just going to have to do a good job on Tuesday and the next couple days before the ALDS.” For Verdugo, this is an even bigger worry. The Yankees star’s season has been as inconsistent as they come. After a brilliant start, Verdugo pretty much was in the bottom tier of hitters from June to August.

With a batting average of .589 in June, .616 in July, and .549 in August, Verdugo had the whole Bronx fanbase on his back. Though he improved a little in September (.608) after changing his gloves, the star remains far from his best. As a result, a gap like this can potentially prove to be harmful for Alex Verdugo. But then, he isn’t the only one who is worried about this – even the skipper Aaron Boone thinks the New York Yankees need to work hard to remain focused.

How the New York Yankees are trying to stay intense during this break

Aaron Boone candidly admitted that the Yankees need to be careful per the New York Post. “Trying to make sure we keep that mental edge and keep guys as sharp as we possibly can with live looks and things like that,” Boone said. The skipper explained that the Yankees will be increasing the intensity of their training with each passing day after their Monday off.  It’s likely they’ll have some simulated games or use a traject machine to keep their hitters sharp.

The Yankees need to maintain that level. After all, while they’re lucky to avoid the short Wild Card Series, they’ll be risking facing a rust. However, the bigger risk would be that their opponent (Baltimore Orioles or Kansas City Royals) comes in hot. As the past record shows – wild card series teams are much more successful in the divisional series than the teams with byes. So as it stands, the Bronx Bombers have odds stacked against them. 

But that doesn’t mean that all is lost. After all, the Yankees are the only ones besides the Houston Astros to buck this trend. Could they do this again? That would certainly be a sight to see. But until then, it’s a giant wait-and-see situation for the Yankees. They’ll be glued in front of their Television watching the Royals and Orioles duke it out – as will the rest of the fanbase. Who do you think will prevail? Let us know in the comments.