New York Yankees fans can be absolutely brutal to players who don’t live up to expectations, and third baseman Ryan McMahon learned that the hard way. After an abysmal start to the season, where he had a slash line of .172/.294/.276 and just two extra-base hits through 25 games, it was unclear whether or not he would be able to pick it up or if the Yankees would be forced to search for a replacement bat.
Now, though, it appears that it really was just a prolonged slump. Over his last 15 games, the Gold Glove-winning third baseman has a .319 average with an OPS of .858, two homers, and eight RBI. Looking at just his last seven games, it gets even better: he has a slash line of .409/.458/.682. McMahon might not be more than an average hitter at best, but that is more than enough for a high-powered offense like New York’s when it’s paired with his excellent defense.
Impressive Turnaround by Ryan McMahon
The fact that his batting average now sits at .223 is actually fairly impressive, at least considering how deep a hole McMahon dug for himself. After the Yankees’ April 22 win against the Boston Red Sox, the 31-year-old’s batting average dipped to a season-low of .125. Since then, he’s had four multi-hit games, including five extra-base hits. It’s a significant improvement over the automatic-out that McMahon was throughout the first month or so of the season.
Ryan McMahon last 50 PAs
.313/.340/.500 | 2HR | 134 wRC+ | .368 wOBA
— NYY Takes (@nyytakes) May 8, 2026
This doesn’t mean that McMahon is the long-term answer at third base, though. He might not even be “the answer” for the rest of this season; sure, the value he provides on defense alone makes starting him in the lineup worth it. But, at least so far, he hasn’t even been playing spectacular defense like he usually does. Despite having a career total of 34 outs above average, McMahon’s OAA total for 2026 is actually -1, meaning that he hasn’t even been “average” at third base. Of course, it’s early in the season, so this number is likely to change. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees have started using Amed Rosario much more often in his place.
Make Room for Rosario
When the Yankees re-signed Rosario to a one-year deal in the offseason, they probably imagined using him in a platoon with McMahon, giving him the starts against left-handed pitching. What they likely didn’t imagine was the scenario of starting Rosario against right-handers instead, which has become the reality for New York. Though the 30-year-old Rosario has certainly been a worse defender at third than McMahon, he got off to a red-hot start offensively. And the irony of the situation? Rosario has actually been a better hitter against right-handed pitching.
Through 22 appearances (18 starts) Rosario is hitting .266, putting up an .810 OPS, 4 home runs and 14 RBI’s. Against right-handers, his slash line is .303/.333/.515, but against left-handers it goes down to .226/.286/.484. For a “lefty specialist”, he sure does love to hit against righties. But on the downside, this makes the Yankees’ decision of who to start at third that much more difficult.
Later Down the Line
Right now, Ryan McMahon is the Yankees’ primary third baseman. However, in a few months, or maybe even sooner, that could change. The Yankees just called up Spencer Jones, one of their top prospects, and they also just promoted number one prospect George Lombard Jr. to Triple-A. Granted, this new-and-more-urgent Yankee front office isn’t very likely to replace McMahon with a 20-year-old natural shortstop. However, with Anthony Volpe fully healthy and ready to return, current shortstop José Caballero might get some starts at third base once Volpe reclaims the job at shortstop.
It will be interesting to see what the Yankees do at third base, both this season and beyond. McMahon is entering free agency at the end of the season, so unless he continues to hit as he has over the past few weeks, his time as a Yankee will likely end at the conclusion of this season.
Main Photo Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
