David Lennon: It's early, but these Yankees don't look like last year's team

The names are the same from a year ago. But the numbers? Here in mid-April, this is not what GM Brian Cashman had in mind for his run-it-back Yankees, who look like an entirely different team at the plate, a pinstriped impostor of the 2025 mashers that wrecked the majors last season.

Cashman’s logic was mostly sound. Why not keep the band together after leading the sport in nearly every offensive category? It was a supporting cast that worked well with Aaron Judge, who would be coming off a third MVP, and securing Cody Bellinger on a five-year, $162.5 million deal figured to complete that offseason strategy.

But rather than sit back and enjoy the sequel, the Yankees already could have reason for concern, as some of the misfiring pieces might develop into more troubling trends down the line. This is only a 15-game snapshot obviously. But it’s all we have at the moment, and the Yankees batting a collective .202 (third worst in MLB) with a .653 OPS (25th overall) before Monday night’s game against the Angels is not how Cashman drew this up.

No wonder the Yankees were in a five-game slide, scoring just 13 runs over that span. With Angels lefty Yusei Kikuchi starting Monday, manager Aaron Boone was able to remove some of his biggest problems, primarily the .114-hitting Ryan McMahon (15 strikeouts) and Trent Grisham, who was at .133 with zero homers.

Again, it’s early. But these two represent two of the scarier flaws, and maybe the most predictable. McMahon was acquired as a glove-first third baseman at last year’s trade deadline, with the hope his lefty swing could benefit from the Stadium’s short rightfield porch. But that’s turning out to be a leap of faith for Cashman that may end up a face plant, as McMahon’s meager Bronx stats (.208 BA, .641 OPS) from last season aren’t improving — and he’s still owed $32 million through 2027.

Boone does have a ready-made fix for McMahon’s offensive ills. He’s Amed Rosario, who could just get more playing time at third. But that raises the question of how long Boone waits before making significant alterations to his game-planning. When does a small sample size get big enough to merit stronger scrutiny of the lineup configuration?

“You want to be mindful of the first month of the season,” Boone said before Monday’s game. “But you’re always paying attention, taking stock and trying to evaluate where guys are and where they’re going.”

With the Yankees still above .500 (8-7) and last week’s cold weather a convenient excuse, Boone & Co. haven’t reached any critical tipping points when it comes to roster construction. But for someone like Grisham, who returned to the Bronx on the $22.025 million qualifying offer, his performance is always going to be tied to Cashman’s controversial decision to extend that QO.

Last year, Grisham was one of baseball’s best bargains, smashing 34 homers with an .811 OPS for a paltry $5 million price tag. While Cashman gambled that Grisham would try to parlay that into a multiyear deal, he was more than happy staying in the Bronx for an almost 500% raise. It’s a win-win for Grisham, but the Yankees are relying on that pop again and he’s well behind last season’s pace. At this time last year, through 15 games, Grisham already had four homers, 10 RBIs and a 1.139 OPS.

Further complicating the Grisham gambit is that Jasson Dominguez — demoted at the end of spring training — is raking at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .354 with two homers and a .996 OPS. Dominguez could be pushing for another chance and the only thing that’s currently keeping him with the RailRiders is Randal Grichuk’s supposed ability to dent lefthanded pitching.

The Yankee signed Grichuk to a $2.5 million contract at the end of February to fill that specific outfield void — the prospect duo of Dominguez and Spencer Jones showed a weakness against lefties. But it’s debatable whether the 34-year-old Grichuk is the solution, and he’s struggled out of the gate, with six strikeouts through his first 12 hitless at-bats.

Clearly, that’s not a lot of evidence yet. But something to keep an eye on if the Yankees keep getting burned by the lower third of the lineup. As for the heart of the order, those problems aren’t likely to continue for much longer. Aaron Judge sitting at .218 is the greatest outlier, but in his case, it’s nothing more than an early blip that he’ll squash soon enough. To this point, Ben Rice has been subbing for the Judge role — he was hitting .356 with four homers and a 1.256 OPS but was replaced at first base by Paul Goldschmidt for Monday’s game. That meant it was someone else’s turn against the Angels, and few have been up to the challenge lately.

“I think just as a group, we [need to] simplify some things, simplify our approach a little bit, hunt the pitch we’re looking for and kind of pass the baton,” Judge said Sunday after the Yankees were swept by the Rays. “We’ll be in a better spot.”

Something has to change, because these Yankees aren’t performing like the same group did a year ago. And until that happens, everyone will question whether the winter strategy that brought them all back together runs the risk of being a collective failure.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.