New York Yankees coaches may have done some damage to third baseman Ryan McMahon.
Last summer, the New York Yankees were in dire need of help at third base, no longer wanting Oswald Peraza patrolling the hot corner. That was entirely understandable.
So, the Yankees went out and made a trade for Ryan McMahon, a former Colorado Rockies All-Star who was one of the top defenders at his position in all of baseball. And while McMahon wasn't exactly Jose Ramirez with the bat, he seemed decent enough.
Well, maybe that was just the Coors Field effect.
McMahon slashed just .208/.308/.333 with four home runs and 18 RBI over 185 plate appearances in the Bronx last season, which was well below what most expected.
This year, it has been even worse.
McMahon is batting .077 through 11 games. He has gone 2-for-26 and has struck out 13 times in 33 trips to the dish. The contact he has made has been very weak, and it's getting to a point where New York can no longer afford to have him in the lineup.
And the worst part is the Yankees themselves may be to blame.
Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post elaborated.
New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon. Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images."Shortly after last season ended, Yankees hitting coaches held a video conference with McMahon to go over his swing and suggest adjustments, most notably narrowing the stance of a slugger whose feet were the fourth-farthest apart among all qualified major league hitters," Sanchez wrote.
McMahon was then told to alter his batting stance.
"McMahon has shortened up — according to Statcast, the average distance between his feet had gone from 42.7 inches to 37.4 inches — and stepped back slightly in the batter’s box," Sanchez continued.
The early returns have certainly not been good, and while McMahon didn't exactly light it up in 2025 and owns a career sub-.700 OPS away from Coors Field, he was never this bad at the plate.
It seems the adjustment has hurt McMahon rather than help him, and at this point, you have to wonder if the 31-year-old — who played shortstop on Wednesday night — is damaged beyond repair.
The problem for New York is that McMahon is making $16 million this season and has another $16 million coming to him next year, so moving him will prove difficult unless the Yankees eat some of that salary.
But how much longer can New York deal with McMahon's offensive ineptitude? Oh, and by the way, McMahon's struggles at the dish appear to be bleeding into his defense, as he owns a minus-3 DRS and minus-2 OAA at third base thus far in 2026.
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