New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon has struggled at the plate since joining the club on July 26 2025. In 60 games with the New York Yankees, he is hitting 195 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .607.

The batting stance changes requested by the New York Yankees

The New York Yankees organization believed that McMahon’s struggles were related to his being a little bit too open at the plate. Hitting coach James Rowson stated during spring training that they told McMahon to work on being more narrow at the plate. 

“He’s in a stronger position to drive the baseball more consistently,” Rowson told Joyce. “Obviously, throughout a major league season, you’re going to have some fluctuation depending on how you feel. Sometimes that can vary, your width. But right now, with him being a little bit more narrow, he’s ending up in a good spot to drive the ball from. I like what I see.”

The organization’s advice led McMahon to narrow  his stance. According to Baseball Servant, his feet are 37.2 inches apart—the closest of his career—and he stands 30.4 inches from home plate, also the closest of his career.

Despite the changes, he is driving the baseball at a lower percentage over the first six games of the 2026 season. Prior to the off-season, he made contact 99 times as a member of the New York Yankees .48.5% of the batted balls went up in the air, with 22.2% classified as line drives.

Over the first six games of 2026, he has made contact eight times. Of those eight batted balls, 37.5% have been fly balls, while none have been line drives.

The small sample size could indicate that the New York Yankees may have incorrectly identified the catalyst behind McMahon’s hitting struggles. This leaves the question of why McMahon has declined as a hitter in recent years. There may be an explanation for this trend.

Why Ryan McMahon is actually struggling

MacMahon has been most successful when he hits the ball strike zone . His statistics show he reaches the strike zone more often when standing closer to the pitcher and intercepting the ball in front of the plate.

In 2023 with the Rockies, MacMahon stood 21.3 inches deep inside the battery box—his second closest mark. By standing closer, he intercepts the ball 1.5 inches before it reaches the plate.

MacMahon’s stance allows him to take advantage of pitches inside the strike zone. He hit .294 with 23 home runs in 2023. All 23 of his home runs came on pitches in the strike zone.

His production in the strike zone is not an isolated incident; he replicated that success in 2024. Ryan stood closer to the pitcher, positioned 21.2 inches deep in the batter’s box, with an inception point 1.4 inches in front of the plate.

Standing closer to the pitcher allows him to perform well inside the strike zone. He hit 272 with 18 home runs.

However, McMahon joined the New York Yankees on July 26, 2025. Upon joining the team, he began intercepting the ball later in the zone. He stood 25.5 inches deep in the batter’s box and intercepted the ball at the plate. The latter interception point contributed to him hitting248 in the strike zone, including 19 home runs.

Unfortunately, his contact point has moved even later in 2026. He is standing 26.3 inches deep in the batter’s box and making contact 7.5 inches behind the plate. As a result, he is batting .100 in the strike zone, with only one hit.

Therefore, I recommend Ryan McMahon stand closer to the pitcher to intercept the ball in front of the plate. This adjustment will likely help him hit the ball while it is in the zone.