The New York Yankees are rolling right now, and they’re doing it without some important hitters in their lineup. New York beat the Chicago White Sox 12-2 on Tuesday night in The Bronx, their seventh win in the last eight games, improving to an AL-best 44-27 in the process.
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have notably not been in that lineup. The Yankees have kept winning anyway.
After Tuesday’s blowout, manager Aaron Boone addressed exactly what’s allowed New York to absorb losing two of its best players for an extended stretch.
Boone Sends Clear Message
The win over Chicago fit a pattern that’s defined the Yankees’ season so far. New York has found ways to produce even when the lineup card doesn’t include its two biggest names. Tuesday’s lopsided final score, built on a four-homer night and a barrage of hits against a White Sox pitching staff with no answers, was the latest example.
Boone was asked about navigating the team with all the key absences.
“I want to get those guys back, but the one thing I’ve maintained with you guys all year is I feel like we’re a deeper team than we’ve been in a lot of years and capable of withstanding some significant people being out of the lineup or out of the rotation,” Boone said.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 22: Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees looks on after a pitching change during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Gerrit Cole Has A Strong Outing
Gerrit Cole added his own proof point Tuesday, turning in his best start in weeks. The right-hander allowed just two runs across six innings. It was the kind of length the Yankees have needed more consistently from their rotation while the lineup absorbs its own absences.
Cole gave up a solo home run in the first inning, then settled in and shut Chicago down almost entirely from there. By the time he ran into traffic again late in the game, he had already done enough to qualify as the bounce-back start New York was hoping for.
Gerrit Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery came at the perfect time for the Yankees.
What the Depth Looks Like for the Yankees
New York’s offense Tuesday came from all over the lineup.
Spencer Jones, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt all factored into the scoring, with Jones in particular continuing to show why the Yankees have leaned on him more during the Judge and Stanton absences.
Goldschmidt, who has emerged as one of the steadier veteran presences in the lineup this season, echoed Boone’s sentiment in his own way after the game, pointing to the culture and depth the roster has built as the reason the team has been able to keep winning regardless of who’s available on a given night.
That’s the picture Boone painted. Not a team treading water until its stars return, but one built to handle exactly this kind of stretch.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 16: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees celebrates his second inning home run against the Chicago White Sox with his teammates in the dugout at Yankee Stadium on June 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Yankees
Aaron Boone isn’t hoping the Yankees survive without Judge and Stanton. He’s saying they’re built for it, and he’s been saying it all year.
Tuesday backed him up. The pitching held. The lineup produced from top to bottom. And New York walked away with another lopsided win at the top of the American League.
The depth is the story right now. Boone made sure everyone heard it.
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