With Monday\u2019s 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees were officially through one-third of the regular season.<\/p>\n
Their 32-22 record was second-best in the American League and in their own division, where they trail the Tampa Bay Rays (34-17) by 3 1\/2 games.<\/p>\n
The Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a time to take stock of teams. Here are our grades for each of the Yankees players so far.<\/p>\n
Pitchers<\/h2>\n
David Bednar, RHP<\/strong> Jake Bird, RHP<\/strong> Paul Blackburn, RHP<\/strong> Gerrit Cole, RHP<\/strong> \n Fernando Cruz (2.08 ERA, 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings) has been a bright spot in the bullpen. (Elsa \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Fernando Cruz, RHP<\/strong> Camilo Doval, RHP<\/strong> Max Fried, LHP<\/strong> Luis Gil, RHP<\/strong> Brent Headrick, LHP<\/strong> Tim Hill, LHP<\/strong> Carlos Rod\u00f3n, LHP<\/strong> Elmer Rodr\u00edguez, RHP<\/strong> Cam Schlittler, RHP<\/strong> Will Warren, RHP<\/strong> Ryan Weathers, LHP<\/strong> Ryan Yarbrough, LHP<\/strong> JC Escarra, C<\/strong> Austin Wells, C<\/strong> \n Jos\u00e9 Caballero has been a spark \u2014\u00a0on offense and defense \u2014\u00a0for the Yankees. (Dustin Satloff \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jos\u00e9 Caballero, SS<\/strong> Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B<\/strong> Paul Goldschmidt, 1B<\/strong> Ryan McMahon, 3B<\/strong> Ben Rice, 1B<\/strong> Amed Rosario, UTL<\/strong> Max Schuemann, UTL<\/strong> Anthony Volpe, SS<\/strong> \n Cody Bellinger has delivered at the plate and in the field, but he has just a .554 OPS away from Yankee Stadium. (Ishika Samant \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Cody Bellinger, LF<\/strong> Jasson Dom\u00ednguez, LF<\/strong> Trent Grisham, CF<\/strong> Spencer Jones, OF<\/strong> Aaron Judge, RF<\/strong> Giancarlo Stanton, DH<\/strong>
Grade:<\/strong> C
Bednar is 12 of 14 in save tries, and his 4.70 ERA is more than double what it was last year with the Yankees (2.19). He\u2019s worked around danger all season, allowing at least one base runner in 18 of his 23 appearances. His fastball has been around 96 mph, or down just about 1 mph from last season.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> D+
Bird has tantalized with an electric, high-whiff sweeper and sinker combination. But his command has been off and he\u2019s gotten pounded at times, including giving up a go-ahead homer to Bobby Witt Jr. in the eighth inning Monday before the Yankees stormed back in the ninth for the win.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> B
The Yankees have followed an unorthodox roster route, keeping two long men in Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough. Blackburn has eaten innings, which is what the club has needed him to do. Hard to complain about that.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A
Six scoreless innings in his debut Friday? That\u2019ll do. Cole looked like himself, touching 98.6 mph<\/a>. He\u2019s the most exciting thing about this team right now.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> B+
Cruz has been his typical self, working as a stopper and often getting the job done. His splitter looks almost like a knuckleball at times, and hitters have swung and missed 55.3 percent of the time against it.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> D
What happened to the Doval who used to close games with the San Francisco Giants? The right-hander couldn\u2019t be trusted after the Yankees traded for him last year, and that trend has continued. Doval\u2019s fastball averages 97.6 mph, but he hasn\u2019t gotten a strikeout in any of his last five appearances.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A-
Fried was 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts before going on the injured list 10 days ago with a left elbow bone bruise, which seems likely to keep him out a couple of months. The Yankees hate to see Fried miss any time, but at least he doesn\u2019t need surgery. Fried\u2019s command was lacking all season as his strikeout rate was a little down and his walks were a little up.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> F
Gil didn\u2019t make the Opening Day roster, and he lasted just four starts before the Yankees sent him to Triple-A Scranton\/Wilkes-Barre. Then he needed to be shut down with shoulder inflammation. He\u2019s far from the pitcher who won the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year award.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A
What a discovery. Headrick is tied for the second-most appearances in the majors at 27, and he\u2019s got a 2.03 ERA with 29 strikeouts. The Yankees converted Headrick from starting to full-time relief last year, and he\u2019s become one of their most effective weapons.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A
Hill basically throws underhand, and his fastball is one of the slowest in the game at 88.3 mph. But he\u2019s racked up 26 appearances and a 2.53 ERA as a trusted late-inning option.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> D
Rod\u00f3n\u2019s first two starts were duds, and though his third was better, he still hasn\u2019t looked like he\u2019s all the way back from offseason elbow surgery. The Yankees expect more from Rod\u00f3n, who\u2019s capable of providing it.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> B
The Yankees needed Rodr\u00edguez, one of their better pitching prospects, to be better than Gil. He\u2019s done his job, posting a 4.15 ERA over three outings. For a control pitcher, he was shaky in that department. Still, he impressed the Yankees with his attitude and guts, looking steady in his start in the Subway Series.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A+
Schlittler hasn\u2019t just met the expectations he set with his debut last year; he\u2019s far surpassed them. His 1.50 ERA over 11 starts was the best in the majors. His four-seamer, cutter and sinker combination has completely dominated hitters. On a staff with Cole, Fried and Rod\u00f3n, it\u2019s fair to wonder if Schlittler will wind up performing like the ace by season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A-
The Yankees have long been high on Warren, and he continues to repay their faith. Take out a bust of a four-inning, six-run start against the Texas Rangers and Warren would be sitting on a 2.67 ERA in 10 starts. He\u2019s struck out nearly 30 percent of the hitters he\u2019s faced.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A
Remember when it seemed like a lock that the Yankees would put Weathers in the bullpen once their rotation was fully healthy? Well, he\u2019s been indispensable with a 3.14 ERA in 10 starts. He\u2019s already at 57 1\/3 innings and has never thrown more than 94 2\/3 innings in a big-league season.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> B
Like Blackburn, Yarbrough has mostly been here to eat innings. Ho-hum.<\/p>\nCatchers<\/h2>\n
Grade:<\/strong> C
The Yankees are seemingly feeding Escarra more playing time, with Austin Wells continuing to struggle at the plate. On Monday, he had three hits, including two well-struck singles. He\u2019s not the defender that Wells is, but there might be more in his bat right now.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> D+
Wells has been one of the game-s best pitch framers and little else. He hasn\u2019t hit since last year\u2019s All-Star break, and despite the Yankees\u2019 constant support, his at-bats haven\u2019t looked all that great much of the time either. Sure, Wells has amassed a good number of walks (14.7 BB%). But much of the rest of his advanced statistics point to a weak link in the lineup.<\/p>\nInfielders<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/25220008\/GettyImages-2271539524-scaled.jpg\")
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Grade:<\/strong> B+
Just about everyone expected Caballero to go back to being a super-utility player once Anthony Volpe returned from offseason left shoulder surgery. But Caballero has played too well, and has brought too much of a spark, for the Yankees to turn back to their former top prospect. Caballero has been one of the best defenders in the game and a tough out.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> C-
Chisholm started terribly, but he\u2019s been on a tear, hitting .432 over his previous 10 games entering Monday, when he went 1-for-3 with a walk and raised his batting average to .247. He has hit just five home runs \u2014 a far cry from the 30-30 season he put up last year. But he\u2019s trending upward.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> B
The Yankees have sharply reduced Goldschmidt\u2019s playing time from last year in deference to the surging Ben Rice, and it\u2019s worked. Going into Monday, Goldschmidt had a .869 OPS in 98 plate appearances. Plus, he\u2019s still solid defensively.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> F
McMahon\u2019s 60 wRC+ is the worst among Yankees regulars, and he\u2019s graded out poorly on defense (minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved). He\u2019s been almost unplayable.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A+
Rice has vaulted himself, at least for now, into the upper echelon of hitters in the major leagues. He\u2019s brought a blend of power and plate discipline that would fit in the middle of any lineup. Rice has been so good that the Yankees haven\u2019t let him catch, partially out of fear that he\u2019d be at increased injury risk. He\u2019s been too valuable to mess around with.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> C
Rosario had a nice run of big at-bats early, but he\u2019s basically settled back into being only a platoon option offensively, with the Yankees crossing their fingers that the ball doesn\u2019t get hit to him.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> C
With Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Dom\u00ednguez on the IL, Schuemann has been a fill-in and defensive replacement for the Yankees.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> C
Volpe returned from his offseason shoulder surgery on May 4 and the Yankees immediately demoted him. It was a short-lived, eight-day stint in Triple A, and since he returned to the majors, he\u2019s looked much like himself. But he hasn\u2019t done enough to unseat Caballero.<\/p>\nOutfielders<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/25220142\/GettyImages-2277009803-scaled.jpg\")
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Grade:<\/strong> A
Bellinger so far has proved worth just about every penny of the five-year, $162.5-million deal the Yankees gave him this offseason. He continues to be one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball and worthy lineup protection for Aaron Judge, posting a .863 OPS, though most of his damage has come at home.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> B
Dom\u00ednguez worked hard after his season-opening demotion, returning to the majors for nine games as a fill-in. Then he crashed into the outfield wall, spraining his left shoulder on a spectacular catch and landing on the IL.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> D+
For someone making the $22.025 million qualifying offer, Grisham is off to a bad start. He hasn\u2019t looked close to replicating the production he had last year, when he hit a career-best 34 home runs. Still, he went into Monday with a not-terrible 96 OPS+ and hitting .381 in his previous seven games.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> D
Jones\u2019 first promotion to the majors didn\u2019t go swimmingly. He struck out 12 times in 27 plate appearances with no extra-base hits.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> A
Judge has run into a massive cold streak lately, but his .933 OPS was still eighth in MLB and he was third in home runs at 17. He gave the Yankees a much-needed lift with Sunday\u2019s walk-off home run against the Rays<\/a>. He\u2019s been solid as usual defensively. The Yankees are just waiting for Judge to go on one of his patented tears to help pick up their offense, which has struggled for the last three weeks.<\/p>\n
Grade:<\/strong> C
Stanton had a hot eight-game stretch to start the season and then hit .175 with two home runs over his next 16 games. Then he took what\u2019s become his customary trip to the IL with a lower-body injury, this time a right calf strain, retroactive to April 25. It\u2019s unclear when he\u2019ll be back. Stanton\u2019s biggest contribution lately has been Chisholm wearing his game pants<\/a> to try to break his bad luck at the plate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n