NEW YORK — The calendar flipped to June, and so did the questions facing the New York Yankees. Before they had played even a handful of games this month, manager Aaron Boone was already being asked about a ghost that keeps haunting the Bronx. The dreaded June swoon. He pushed back on the idea. The early returns are not making his case easy.
The Yankees opened June by stumbling, and the timing could not have been worse for a team trying to bury a troubling pattern.
Boone confronts the narrative head-on
The Yankees entered the month in strong shape, having gone 36-24 through April and May. Yet the franchise’s recent history in June hangs over every early loss. When reporters pressed Boone on it before Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, he did not hide from the topic. He also did not fully embrace it.
“We sucked last June for two weeks,” Boone said. “But there are factors in that. You don’t get to pick when you’re the most whole throughout the year. Had we been a little different in June, it wouldn’t have happened that. It’s all annoying.”
The comment captured Boone’s stance. He acknowledged last year’s stumble but framed it as a matter of timing and health rather than a fatal flaw. The problem is that the Yankees have already lost their first game of this June, and the same warning signs are flashing.
The numbers behind last year’s collapse
Here is the recent history that fuels the anxiety. Last June, the Yankees endured a six-game losing streak and finished the month at 13-14. The pitching was not the issue, as the staff posted a solid 3.19 ERA. The bats went cold instead, with the team managing just a .718 OPS for the month.
That pattern is not new. In 2022, the Yankees raced to a blistering 49-17 start that drew comparisons to the legendary 1998 club. Then the summer hit, and they sank into a stretch of sub-.500 baseball that nearly wiped out a massive division lead. In 2024, New York looked like the best team in the sport at 50-22 through mid-June before a brutal 5-15 skid over three weeks, during which the rotation’s ERA ballooned past 6.00 and the bottom of the order disappeared.
Three of the last four seasons have followed the same script. A dominant start, then a June slide. That is why a single early loss this month carries more weight than it normally would.
The warning signs already piling up
The concern is not just superstition about a month on the calendar. Real problems have surfaced for the Yankees as June begins. The list is growing.
Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler both took a step back in their most recent starts after strong runs. Aaron Judge is out of the lineup with an injury. The bullpen has been shaky. The catchers have provided little offense. And the lineup as a whole has looked sluggish compared to its May production. Each issue alone would be manageable. Together, they form exactly the kind of cluster that has sunk past Yankees teams in June.
The Judge situation looms largest. The reigning American League MVP is considered day-to-day with a bone bruise on his upper right rib, and his absence gutted the lineup in the series opener. His teammates know what his bat means to the group.
A brutal schedule that offers no relief
The road ahead will reveal the truth quickly. The Yankees face a demanding June slate that gives them little room to ease any worries. The month is loaded with division and contender matchups.
After hosting Cleveland to open the month, the Yankees welcome the Boston Red Sox from June 5 to 7. Then comes a road trip with three games at Cleveland from June 8 to 10 and a series at the Toronto Blue Jays from June 12 to 14. A homestand against the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds follows, before a road set at the Detroit Tigers from June 22 to 23. Off days are scheduled for June 11 and 15.
That gauntlet, packed with quality opponents, is the real test of whether Boone’s confidence is justified. The Yankees have already shown trouble against good teams this season. A stretch this difficult, with Judge banged up and several issues unresolved, is precisely where past New York clubs have unraveled.
For now, Boone is holding firm that the June swoon is more about circumstance than fate. The Yankees still sit well above .500 and remain a contender in the American League East. But the captain is hurting, the supporting cast is sputtering, and the schedule is unforgiving. The next few weeks will decide whether Boone’s denial proves wise or whether the Bronx is bracing for the same June heartbreak all over again.
What do you think? Can the Yankees finally avoid the dreaded June swoon?
