Yankees takeaways: Ninth inning strategy, ABS challenges and Luis Gil's 2026 debut

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – As a lineup, “we’ve got to hit,’’ said Austin Wells, referencing the Yankees’ sand-in-the-gears offense to start 2026.

“We’ve got to take the pressure off these guys on the mound,’’ Wells said after the Yanks’ third straight loss, 5-3 on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. “We have all the opportunity and the strength to turn it around,’’ but the snapshot lately is a club that’s been out-hit 26-10 against the A’s and Rays. In that same three-game span, they’re 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position… …OK, that could happen at any point in a season and not look like a big deal, though Aaron Judge hasn’t had an RBI in his last 18 plate appearances.

Wells (5-for-33, . 152, 0 RBI) and Jazz Chisholm (2-for-23 slide) look particularly adrift, and Ryan McMahon (2-for-29) did not start against Rays’ lefty Steven Matz. But there is concern about the bottom part of Aaron Boone’s lineup, and let’s examine what happened in Friday’s ninth inning.

A view into Aaron Boone's strategy With the Yanks trailing 5-3, both Giancarlo Stanton and Amed Rosario opened with singles against right-handed Rays’ reliever Bryan Baker. Next, Chisholm nearly rolled into a double play – with a replay challenge reversing the DP call on the field, showing Chisholm narrowly beating the relay to first. The next two Yankee batters were righty-hitting Randal Grichuk (0-for-8 on the season but starting against the lefty Matz) and Jose Caballero (5-for-40, .