Hal Steinbrenner Sends Message To Yankees With Aaron Judge Out

The frustration has mounted for New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and while it didn't boil over Tuesday, he still got his point across.

Steinbrenner called out the Yankees for their lackluster play of late, especially with the offense struggling mightily with superstar outfielder Aaron Judge sidelined with a big toe injury. With Judge out of the lineup, the Yankees have scored just 21 runs in seven games and entered their Subway Series with the Mets nine games out of first place in the American League East with a 38-29 record.

While Judge is a big loss, Steinbrenner finds the recent offensive production unacceptable.

"We've got to start hitting," Steinbrenner told reporters Tuesday, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman. "We're putting way too much pressure on the pitchers. There are several of our veterans who need to step up, especially with (Aaron) Judge gone. Let's just see if guys pick it up, particularly the veterans I'm talking about."

What veterans is Steinbrenner trying to send a message to? He certainly has plenty to choose from. Anthony Rizzo finished the series with the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in a 0-for-24 slump at the plate, the longest hitless streak of his career.

"It's been a two-week sample size, and it hasn't been promising."

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Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner

Giancarlo Stanton hasn't been setting the world on fire either in Judge's absence while Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu aren't producing as well.

"I don't think it's a mental thing. I don't think it's in their heads," Steinbrenner said, per Heyman. "But it's been a two-week sample size, and it hasn't been promising. But as you know, he's one of the best players in the game, and we're going to miss him."

Perhaps the message from Steinbrenner got through to the players because at least the offense responded in the first game of a quick two-game set with the Mets before traveling to Boston for a weekend series with the Red Sox again.

The Yankees scored seven runs in the first six innings of the contest, with Stanton and LeMahieu each hitting a home run.

And for the moment, Steinbrenner is showing he can push the right buttons, just like his father did.