By Loveth 
The Yankees didn’t exactly have the smoothest spring training. They lost out on Juan Soto to the Mets and had to switch gears fast—picking up pitcher Max Fried, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, closer Devin Williams, and outfielder Cody Bellinger instead.
Then came the injuries. Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery, Luis Gil is out with a lat strain, Giancarlo Stanton showed up hurt (again), and DJ LeMahieu strained his calf. Not great.
But somehow, they’re thriving. With a 15-10 record, they’re sitting at the top of the AL East and tied with Detroit for the best record in the league. Their deep pockets ($290 million payroll) help cushion the blows, but manager Aaron Boone thinks it’s more about the team’s mentality than money.
Despite all the injuries, their offense is rolling. They’re averaging almost 5.5 runs a game, tied for the most homers in MLB, and leading in OPS. Aaron Judge is on fire, leading the league in pretty much every hitting stat. Goldschmidt’s found new life in New York too, hitting .383.
New faces like Ben Rice and Trent Grisham have stepped up big while others heal. Rice has six home runs and a 1.015 OPS as the DH, and Grisham’s OPS is even better at 1.093, taking at-bats from Bellinger.
On the mound, Max Fried is living up to his big contract, going 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Even without Cole and Gil, the team’s ERA is a solid 3.86. Williams has had a rough start, but the team’s still holding strong.
Boone’s optimistic. He likes where the team is at, especially with injured players slowly making their way back. The Yankees are aiming for a return to the World Series after falling short last year—and so far, they’re looking the part.