Injuries to key players, including Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, have severely impacted the Yankees' lineup just before the trade deadline.

All three have been out of the lineup at the same time, and with Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline closing in, it's no longer a footnote.

Amid all of it, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported during the Yankees' recent series against the Chicago Cubs that the injury-depleted lineup is forcing New York to prioritize a right-handed hitting catcher and additional offensive depth before the deadline hits.

"You look at this Yankees lineup tonight — no disrespect, but it's not the New York Yankees that we are familiar with," Rosenthal said during the Yankees' 5-2 loss against the Cubs.

"So, without Judge, without Stanton, without Bellinger, what are they going to do at the deadline? They've been looking for a right-handed hitting catcher. But those particular players are scarce in this particular market. So, they want a catcher; they want another bat."

Rosenthal's point was easily visible in the Cubs series. The Yankees opened the set with a 2-0 win on Friday. But their offense only got two solo homers, one from Spencer Jones and one from Amed Rosario.

Then Saturday turned into a game Rosenthal was talking about. Max Fried gave them a strong start, but New York still lost 5-2 because the bats could not keep enough pressure on Chicago.

Jones was again their only bright spot, hitting a solo homer in the seventh inning that briefly gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

There was, however, one flicker of good news in his report. Rosenthal relayed that Stanton could possibly return before Judge if his running progression holds up without further setbacks, according to Boone.

"And I thought it was interesting today, guys, when Aaron Boone told us that Giancarlo Stanton could be back before Aaron Judge if Stanton continues his running progression without further setbacks," Rosenthal added.

Michael Kay had a different take than Rosenthal

Despite New York sitting firmly in buyer position given its 62-49 record heading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Michael Kay sees the deadline through Judge’s return.

Speaking on ESPN with Buster Olney, the Yankees play-by-play voice said:

"You don't know when Judge is getting back…If they knew that Judge wasn't coming back, I don't think I would make any move. Because I don't think they can win without a healthy Aaron Judge."

Judge has been out since May 31 with a stress fracture in his first right rib, an injury he first felt on a diving attempt in Houston back in April before playing through it for another month.

Since then, Judge still hasn't been cleared to resume baseball activities as of late July, nearly two months after first going down.

Before the injury, Judge was batting with a .248/.375/.533 line with 17 homers and 38 RBI in 59 games.

The Yankees were 36-23 with Judge in the lineup this year and have played closer to .500 baseball without him. It's a gap that shows up night after night in a lineup that's lost its main player.

Stanton's and Bellinger's injuries only widened that gap.

Read more at the New York Yankees Community!

Written by

Md Saife Fida