5 Yankees Already on Thin Ice in April
As April nears its end, it's safe to say that the New York Yankees have taken fans on quite the rollercoaster ride early in the 2026 MLB season.
After an electric 8-2 start to the campaign, the Yankees fell back to earth with seven losses in a nine-game stretch from April 8 to April 16. New York has since managed to turn things around by sweeping the Kansas City Royals before Monday's off-day, leaving time to tell whether the newfound momentum is a mirage or the start of better things to come.
Despite the recent turnaround, a handful of Yankees haven't done enough to get out of the fan base's doghouse just yet. With that in mind, here are five players who are skating on thin ice as April slowly wraps up.
1. Luis Gil, RHP
Despite dealing with injuries, Luis Gil was still a solid hand for the Yankees in 2025, going 4-1 while posting a career-best 3.32 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 11 starts. An underwhelming spring training performance left New York fans to wonder if the 27-year-old righty was about to take a step back, and the early part of the 2026 season has seemingly confirmed those fears.
Ahead of Tuesday's start vs. the rival Boston Red Sox, Gil is sitting at a putrid 7.00 ERA and a 0-1 record through his first two starts. The former American League Rookie of the Year has struggled to keep the ball in the park with four home runs allowed so far, all while opposing batters are recording a .941 OPS against him. For comparison, his career OPS allowed is .664, while the MLB average this season is .716.
Yankees fans know Gil can be better than what he's shown so far, If he wants to remain a rotational option, it'll be up to him to reverse course or risk being replaced before the Yankees get deep into the schedule.
2. Ryan McMahon, 3B
Ryan McMahon's bat has been an offensive concern ever since he joined the Yankees last season, and it's safe to say that the problem has only worsened. Through his first 20 games (46 at-bats), the veteran infielder is only slashing .130/.286/.196 with a 41 OPS+, notching only one home run with four RBIs. Sure, McMahon's 10 walks are welcome; however, his 18 strikeouts and 32.1% strikeout rate erase any good he does at the plate.
Making matters worse is the fact that McMahon's defense, which he's known for, hasn't been up to snuff. His .958 fielding rate at the hot corner is the worst it's been since 2022 (.953) and the fact that New York has already given him his first-ever start at shortstop shows that manager Aaron Boone has doubts about whether he's still as reliable at third base as he once was.
With how important a club's starting 3B is to any championship aspirations, it's easy to see why the Yankees might be worried about whether McMahon is the right man for the job.
3. Randal Grichuk, OF
Yankees fans breathed a sigh of relief when the club signed Randal Grichuk in February. Often labeled as a 'Yankee killer,' Grichuk joined New York after amassing 18 HRs, 35 RBIs and a .825 OPS in 68 career clashes with the American League East franchise, leaving time to tell if his bat was finally going to do some good for the Big Apple.
Much to any hopeful fan's dismay, Grichuk's presence has been more detrimental than helpful. The 34-year-old outfielder is still looking for his first homer after batting .100 with a .336 OPS through 12 games (20 ABs). That's without mentioning how he went hitless through his first 14 plate appearances to begin the season.
Grichuk's performance took a massive step back last season, and that trend is showing no signs of stopping. He's going to remain a Yankee killer for all the wrong reasons unless he miraculously finds a way to turn the clock back far enough to return to being a consistent 15-25 HR guy.
4. David Bednar, RHP
As of Monday afternoon, Yankees closer David Bednar leads the American League with six saves through nine appearances. While it's encouraging to see him near last season's save total (10) while making 13 fewer appearances so far, Bednar isn't exactly having a flawless season and has given New York fans plenty of reasons to be concerned about his outlook.
For starters, the 31-year-old righty is currently sitting at an uninspiring 4.15 ERA and has already blown a save while picking up two losses. Opposing batters are also slashing .306/.381/.361 against him (vs. .200/.263/304 in 2025), while four of his last seven outings have seen him allow at least one earned run.
Admittedly, Bednar has slowly turned things around with back-to-back run-less appearances in his last two games. At the same time, those performances came against the sub-.500 Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals, meaning he'll need to string together stronger efforts against contending clubs before he's declared safe from the thin ice he's on.
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
Jazz Chisholm Jr. seemingly had a star-making performance last season, mashing 31 HRs and 80 RBIs with a career-best 4.2 WAR. The impressive showcase led to Chisholm's first MLB All-Star appearance since 2022, as well as the first time he received Silver Slugger honors.
Needless to say, Yankees fans were excited to see what would happen next. Much to their dismay, though, everything the 28-year-old infielder has shown this season has been more discouraging than uplifting. Chisholm has yet to record a home run through 21 games (73 ABs) and has nearly three times as many strikeouts (26) as walks (nine). His .498 OPS is only worse than his rookie performance (.563), which included the same number of games as he's played this year.
It doesn't help that Chisholm has also been making noticeable defensive miscues, so it isn't as if he's consistently helped New York on either side of the ball. The fact that he's slated to hit unrestricted free agency in the winter means that the Yankees don't have any long-term commitments to worry about and could consider trading Chisholm if they're confident an upgrade/replacement can easily be found.
With just one hit in 18 plate appearances since April 14, time is running out for Chisholm to prove that he deserves to stay with the Yankees a little bit longer.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as 5 Yankees Already on Thin Ice in April .
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 2:53 PM.