Yankee fans, are we happy today? Much happier than we were about 11 days ago. The Yankees went 3-7 from April 7-16, then rattled off 8 straight wins. They dropped one to the Astros on Sunday to snap the streak, but the Bombers sit atop the AL East at 18-10, 1.5 games ahead of the pesky Tampa Bay Rays. Some thoughts as we hit the one-month mark.

The Yankees Ended the Alex Cora Era in Boston

Once upon a time, the Red Sox held a 1-0 lead on the Yankees in a Wild Card Series. Since then, the Yankees are 5-0 against Boston. They won that series, ended Boston’s season, then picked up right where they left off and swept the Red Sox last week, which effectively ended the Alex Cora era. Is sweeping them directly responsible? Probably not. But if Boston had eliminated the Yankees last year, or taken 2-of-3 last week, it’s hard to imagine the Red Sox blowing up their entire coaching staff. It’s also worth noting that the players reportedly aren’t thrilled with the decision either. Always fun when your rivals are in chaos.

Ryan McMahon Getting Better Results

Over the 8-game win streak, Ryan McMahon slashed .313/.389/.688 with two homers, a .386 xwOBA and 193 wRC+. That’s very good. McMahon’s value has always been on defense, so any offensive production from him is a bonus. Good to see him contributing with the bat.

Luis Gil is Not Part of this Team’s Plans

It was a good run, but Luis Gil is nowhere near being a meaningful part of this pitching staff, especially with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt all due back soon. He’s been rough. In 19.1 innings he has a 6.05 ERA, 6.27 xERA and 6.30 xFIP. His 10.6% strikeout rate is among the worst among starters in baseball, and his velocity has been trending down since 2024. The Yankees probably should have cashed in on his trade value after his Rookie of the Year campaign.

Martian and Volpe Return

Jasson Dominguez is back, called up after Giancarlo Stanton (likely) lands on the IL with a calf injury. In 92 Triple-A at-bats this year, Dominguez posted a .415 OBP and .893 OPS with three homers. He’s been a big league hitter stuck in Triple-A. The concern, as always, is his defense in left field, where he’s looked shaky at times. The Yankees may lean on him as a DH. We’ll see.

Anthony Volpe is also reportedly returning later this week, Wednesday or Thursday per Boone. Caballero has been excellent and isn’t easy to displace. The likely outcome is Volpe slides back into shortstop while Caballero shifts into a utility role. His versatility makes him arguably more valuable as a bench piece than Volpe anyway.

Boone, being Boone, gave this gem when asked about Volpe’s return: “Cabbie’s in there today. Cabbie is playing at a really high level. Obviously, we think very highly of Anthony too. But those are answers for another day. Bottom line is, Josie has earned a lot of opportunities and has been right in the middle of us winning a lot of games.” Classic non-answer.

The Yankees Have Two MVP-Caliber Hitters

Aaron Judge is the odds-on AL MVP favorite in 2026, which is no surprise. What is surprising is that Ben Rice is right there with him. Rice currently has the sixth-best AL MVP odds, sitting behind Judge, Alvarez, Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr. and Nick Kurtz. Rice has a 213 wRC+, nine homers and a .489 wOBA. He’s been one of the best hitters in baseball and absolutely deserves to be in the MVP conversation.

The Yankees Have a Pitching Fortress

The Yankees have the best rotation in baseball one month in. They lead MLB in WAR (4.0 fWAR) and rank top five in BB/9 (2nd), HR/9 (5th), Hard-Hit Rate (5th) and ERA (2nd). Three starters, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Max Fried, are top 30 in ERA, with Weathers close behind at 40th. Cole, Rodon and Schmidt haven’t even returned yet. This may be the best Yankees rotation of the Aaron Judge era, and it’s not a fluke: their xERA is 2nd in baseball behind Pittsburgh, and their xFIP (3.38) is 1st.