Yankees fire hitting coach Dillon Lawson after continued offensive struggles
In a rare move for the New York Yankees, the franchise fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson on Sunday afternoon as they enter the All-Star break.
It marks the first time general manager Brian Cashman has fired a coach in the middle of the season in his 26-year career.
“It has been well documented that I have been reluctant in the past to make changes to our coaching staff in the middle of a season,” Cashman said in a statement. “I am a big believer that successes and failures are collective efforts. However, I ultimately felt that a change was needed and that a new voice overseeing our hitting operations would give us the best chance to perform closer to our capabilities as we move forward into the second half of our season.
“I want to thank Dillon for all his efforts. He has a bright baseball mind that will continue to lead a long and fruitful baseball career.”
The Yankees announced the firing shortly after they fell 7-4 to the Chicago Cubs in New York, marking their second loss to the Cubs in the three-game series.
The Yankees have struggled significantly offensively this season, especially since they lost star Aaron Judge to a toe injury on June 3. Judge crashed into a fence at Dodger Stadium and still has no timeline to return. As of Friday, since Judge went down, the Yankees had the lowest batting average (.214) and on-base percentage (.284) in the league, per the New York Post, and they had scored the second-fewest runs in that stretch.
Although Judge’s absence hurts, it’s not all on him. The Yankees hold a .231 batting average this season, which is tied with the Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's at dead last in the majors. They’re 26th in on-base percentage and 29th in hits.
The Yankees enter the All-Star break with a 49-42 record, which has them fourth in the AL East and eight games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. They’ve gone just 14-17 since losing Judge.
Lawson, 38, was named the Yankees’ hitting coach before the 2022 season after working in their minor-league system. The team did not name a replacement, and it's unclear if assistant hitting coaches Casey Dykes or Brad Wilkerson will remain with the team after the break.