New York Yankees

The New York Yankees' power surge over their season-opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers this past weekend generated significant attention for their new "torpedo" bats.

ESPN's Jeff Passan detailed how the bats were created and introduced in the majors, revealing that minor league hitting coordinator Aaron Leanhardt developed a way to increase the size of the barrel of the bat without increasing the weight.

Leanhardt, who was also an MIT-educated physics professor at the University of Michigan for seven years, first explored the idea after inquiring with players about how hitters can keep up with the pitching revolution in MLB.

"Players were frustrated by the fact that pitching had gotten so good," Leanhardt said.

In creating the "torpedo" bat, also known as the bowling pin bat, the weight of the wood was redistributed "from the end of the bat toward the area [six] to [seven] inches below its tip, where major league players typically strike the ball," per Passan.

The bats were spotlighted this past weekend after the Yankees tied an MLB record with 15 home runs through their first three games. Five players who adopted the "torpedo" bats were responsible for nine of those homers: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (three), Anthony Volpe (two), Austin Wells (two), Cody Bellinger (one) and Paul Goldschmidt (one). While there have been a growing number of critics, Yankees players stand by the legality of the new bats.

While the bats are only now drawing attention, Passan noted that Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was the first to embrace the bat during the 2024 season, and it helped him hit seven home runs in 14 postseason games before the Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. is already sick of the outrage sparked over the team's new "Torpedo" bats.

The Yankees hit 15 home runs in their first series against the Milwaukee Brewers, tying the MLB record for the most through the first three games of a season. This was the team's first use of the new bat design, which features an elongated barrel but still meets the standard in the latest collective bargaining agreement.

Following some of the criticism of the new equipment, Chisholm took to social media to call out the "idiots" who believe the bats should not be legal.

He also explained how the bats feel to reporters, saying that it feels like "my bat" and that he feels "comfortable in the box."

"I mean, it still felt like my bat," Chisholm said on Sunday, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. "I hit the ball at the barrel, feel comfortable in the box. I don't know what else to tell you. I don't know the science of it. I'm just playing baseball."

Chisholm was one of several Yankees to excel with the new bat design as he hit .417/.500/1.167 with three home runs and six RBI in the first series. New York scored 36 runs in the three-game series and is one of four undefeated teams left in Major League Baseball.

On the heels of the Yankees' success, the Atlanta Braves have reportedly put in an order for the bats as well. Several other players around the league have also used the bat.

While it was just one series and it did happen at homer-friendly Yankee Stadium, Chisholm and the Yankees will hope the power surge continues as the team looks to build off last season's trip to the World Series.

Bronx Bombers indeed.

The New York Yankees started their 2025 season off with quite a bang during an opening three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a three-run homer in the seventh inning of Sunday's contest, which gave the home team 15 home runs in the series.

It also tied the Major League Baseball record for home runs in the first three games of a season:

That wasn't the only history Sunday, as Aaron Judge hit a long ball in the first inning to give him four on the campaign. That made him the first player in the Yankees' storied history to hit four home runs in the first three games of a season after he blasted three in Saturday's 20-9 blowout win.

Judge's three home runs in Saturday's victory was part of a nine-homer effort for New York, which set a franchise record.

There would be no nine-homer performance Sunday, but the home team still put on a show with Chisholm hitting two and Judge and Ben Rice going long. 

Fortunately for the Brewers, they don't have to play New York again for the rest of the season. It was a series to forget for the National League Central club that is now starting the year in a hole thanks to the power display from the Yankees. 

The power outbreak brought plenty of attention to the new bats that some members of the Yankees have used in the opening series. They somewhat resemble a bowling pin with more of the wood moved toward the label.

While Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill said, "It's the Yankees, so they'll let it slide," per Dan Martin of the New York Post, an MLB spokesperson told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner "the shape of the bat does not violate the rules."

Not every member of the team is using the bats either, but seemingly everyone in the lineup is launching home runs at the start of the season.

Which is exactly how New York made so much history in the opening series.

Studying Anthony Volpe's hitting style reportedly led the New York Yankees analytics department to develop a new style of bats for their players.

Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay discussed the new bats on the broadcast of Saturday's home game against the Milwaukee Brewers (h/t Awful Announcing.)

Analysis of Volpe's at-bats revealed most of his hits connected on the label rather than the barrel of his bat, Kay reported.

"So they had bats made up, where they moved a lot of the wood into the label, so the harder part of the bat is going to actually strike the ball," Kay said.

The change seemed to be paying off for the Yankees Saturday as the club tied a single-game franchise record with eight home runs in the first four innings against the Brewers.

Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge made MLB history by homering on the first three pitches Nestor Cortes threw for the Brewers.

Amid concern from fans about a potential competitive advantage with the new bats, an MLB spokesperson told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner that "the shape of the bat does not violate the rules."

The 2025 MLB rulebook requires bats to be single pieces of solid wood no longer than 42 inches long.

The rules dictate a maximum diameter of 2.61 inches, but do not specify any particular barrel placement or maximum weight.

Volpe himself hit his second home run of the season two pitches after Kay's comments about his new bat.

Oswald Peraza later set the new single-game franchise record in the bottom of the seventh with the team's ninth home run of the day.

Bellinger, who was the subject of viral video questioning whether he was using a "square bat" during spring training, recently told the New York Daily News' Gary Phillips there is a growing focus among MLB hitters on the weight distribution in their bats.

“There’s ways to move the weight of the bat. Some guys like top heavy, some guys like hand-loaded bats,” Bellinger told Phillips. “You just gotta find a bat that feels good, that kind of moves with you."

Bellinger continued: "You see these golfers, they’re very into their clubs. As baseball players, it’s like why are we just picking up a bat and saying, ‘Oh, this feels good?’ Why is there no science behind anything here? You can test your swing path, you can test your exit velocity. There’s data behind everything now."

Aaron Judge and the rest of the New York Yankees' lineup couldn't be stopped on Saturday.

Judge hit three home runs through four innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, as the Yankees ran away with a 20-9 win to improve to 2-0 on the season.

New York racked up nine total homers, setting a new franchise record. That included a stretch of solo home runs on three consecutive pitches to open the bottom of the first inning.

Judge recorded his third career game with three home runs, sitting at No. 2 on the Yankees' all-time leaderboard. Only Lou Gehrig (four) has more, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.

Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswald Peraza were responsible for the other six homers by the Bronx Bombers.

Wells and Volpe added onto their early 2025 home run totals, as they both homered in the Yankees' 4-2 victory over the Brewers on Thursday.

New York scored at least three runs in each of the first four innings of Saturday's game. It was able to jump out to a large lead despite dealing with some defensive issues, committing five errors through four frames.

The production from Bellinger and Goldschmidt is an especially promising sign for a Yankees team looking to defend its AL pennant, as both players are entering their first season with the club.

Led by Judge, New York's power-hitting lineup has been a key reason for its recent success. The Yankees have led the majors in home runs during two of the past three seasons.

There was some concern regarding the production from Judge and New York following the free-agency departure of Juan Soto, who hit 41 home runs during his lone season with the team in 2024.

The Yankees' lineup hasn't shown any signs of slowing down at the beginning of their 2025 campaign, though.

The New York Yankees opened the bottom of the first inning on Saturday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers with solo home runs on the first three pitches courtesy of Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge.

After a pair of outs, catcher Austin Wells then went deep for the Yankees' fourth home run.

The Yankees faced Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, who was making his debut with the team after spending five seasons with the Bronx Bombers.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Saturday marked the first time the Yankees have hit four home runs in the first inning of a game.

Langs also added some insight on the Yankees hitting home runs on their first three pitches:

The Yankees weren't done hitting home runs either.

After the Brewers scored three runs in the second inning, Anthony Volpe responded with a three-run homer in the bottom of the frame.

Volpe and Wells also hit home runs for the Yankees on Opening Day, when New York won 4-2. Wells' homer also occurred on the first pitch of the bottom of the first.

A day off Friday didn't slow their bats down, and some of their teammates joined in on the fun in the Bronx.

The barrage continued in the third inning, when Judge hit his second homer (a grand slam) before Chisholm got in on the fun with a solo shot.

And with that, the Yankees led 13-3 after three innings.

Judge later added a third homer (in the fourth frame) before Oswald Peraza came off the bench for another home run for a 20-6 lead in the seventh.

Peraza's blast set a franchise record for most homers in a single game (nine) en route to a 20-9 win.

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has resumed hitting indoors as he continues his rehab from torn tendons in both elbows, manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Stanton had 27 home runs and 72 RBI in 114 games alongside a .773 OPS last year for the American League-pennant winning Yankees. He then starred in the playoffs, hitting seven home runs while earning AL Championship Series MVP honors.

Boone previously offered some positive updates on Stanton, who began the season on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 24.

Per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Stanton had been unable to swing a bat since mid-January after suffering the dual elbow injuries.

Thankfully, Stanton has made big improvements since then. There's still no timetable for his return, but it doesn't seem too far off at this point.

In the meantime, the Yankees have turned toward Ben Rice as the team's designated hitter. Rice, who played 50 games for the Yanks during his debut season in 2024, had a double, walk and a run in New York's 4-2 Opening Day victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

Left fielder Jasson Domínguez and first baseman Ben Rice have made the New York Yankees' Opening Day roster, per manager Aaron Boone to reporters on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Domínguez, who is the Yankees' top prospect and MLB's No. 21 overall prospect overall, will be the team's starting left fielder.

The 26-year-old Rice, who played 50 games last season, excelled in spring training with five home runs, second on the team to catcher Austin Wells.

Domínguez burst onto the scene in 2023, getting the call-up to the bigs at the age of 20 after destroying Triple-A pitching for nine games (.419 batting average, 1.094 OPS). He had fared well in Double-A before then (15 homers, 66 RBI, .781 OPS).

Domínguez hit four home runs in eight games for the Yanks but then suffered a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery.

Last year was essentially a wash for "The Martian," as he didn't come back until June and then suffered an oblique strain that kept him out until late July. He played just 18 games for the Yankees, hitting .179 with two home runs and struggling defensively in left.

Thankfully, Domínguez now gets a fresh start in 2025 after a full and healthy offseason and spring training. The talent and potential is certainly there for Domínguez to make a major impact this year.

As for Rice, he made his major league debut last year and excelled through his first 17 games, capped by a three-homer, seven-RBI outing against the Boston Red Sox. At that point, Rice was hitting .294 with a .972 OPS.

However, Rice then got stuck in a slump, hitting just .109 over his last 33 games. He was sent down to the minors but has gotten another chance this year after a great spring.

First base is occupied this year with Paul Goldschmidt now aboard. However, Rice could easily serve as a designated hitter and spell Goldschmidt when need be.

Opening Day for the Yanks is this Thursday, when New York hosts the Milwaukee Brewers at 3 p.m. ET.

Prior to Juan Soto's first game against the New York Yankees as a member of the New York Mets, his former manager shared his thoughts about the All-Star slugger wearing blue and orange instead of navy blue pinstripes.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone greeted Soto before Monday's spring training matchup against the Mets and jokingly told him he looks "terrible" in his new jersey.

Soto left the Yankees in the offseason to sign a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets that is the richest contract in pro sports history.

The Yankees did put forth a strong effort to retain Soto. Their final offer was for $760 million over 16 years, which was a difference of $3.5 million per season compared to the Mets' offer.

Soto had a profound impact on the Yankees in his lone season in the Bronx. He finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 homers in 157 games.

One of the signature moments of the entire 2024 season was Soto's go-ahead homer in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians that sent New York to the World Series.

Even though the Yankees did reallocate a significant portion of the money they were offering Soto to adding Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt to their roster, they're already beat up entering the 2025 season.

Gerrit Cole will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will likely be out until June due to a strained lat. Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with "severe" injuries in both of his elbows. DJ LeMahieu could start the season on the injured list due to a calf injury.

Factoring all of this in, it's not a surprise that Boone would think Soto looks worse in Mets colors than he did in Yankees colors.

Hope is far from lost for the Yankees, even without Soto. They still have Fried as the ace of their rotation. Aaron Judge is the reigning AL MVP after hitting an MLB-high 58 homers in 2024. Bellinger has hit well this spring and should be able to use his left-handed swing to take advantage of the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees fans will get their first opportunity in the regular season to greet Soto when the Mets play a three-game series in the Bronx from May 16-18.

Veteran relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough agreed to a contract with the New York Yankees, according to FanSided's Robert Murray.

Jorge Castillo reported the deal is worth $2 million guaranteed with another $500,000 incentives.

This comes after the southpaw reportedly opted out of a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, having failed to make the cut for their Opening Day squad.

Yarbrough made 44 appearances for the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. He posted a 3.19 ERA and a 4.64 FIP across 98.2 innings. According to Baseball Savant, his walk rate (8.0 percent) matched his career high at the same time his strikeout rate (16.3 percent) was a career low.

The 33-year-old has never relied on overpowering stuff. Neither his fastball nor his sinker has averaged 90 mph over a full season. Still, he has consistently finished near the top of the leaderboard in opponent exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

Yarbrough may not whiff a lot of batters, but they've struggled to get good lumber on the ball.

His tendency to invite contact will become an even bigger problem, though if his strikeout and walk numbers from 2024 are the beginning of a trend. His .212 opponent batting average on balls in play was also well below his career average (.279), per FanGraphs, so he could see some regression in that area.

Yarbrough's flexibility likely played a big role in the Yankees bringing him aboard. He has started 68 MLB games, and he's capable of going multiple innings in a relief role. Six of his outings last season went four or more frames.

Manager Aaron Boone can use Yarbrough as a spot starter, short-inning reliever, or long relief option to follow an opener depending on what the situation requires.

Ace Gerrit Cole is out for the season, while Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are unavailable to open the year. Managing the starting rotation is already a challenge for Boone, so Yarbrough supplies some needed depth.