Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun providing unlikely heroics that Yankees desperately need

BRONX — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made it crystal clear: The Yankees you see are the Yankees you’re going to get. That means players like Jake Bauers and Willie Calhoun will need to find ways to contribute as they did on Wednesday night while some of the team’s biggest stars remained sidelined.

Bauers’ home run in the fifth inning tied the game at two and Willie Calhoun’s round-tripper two batters before — and his single to drive in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth — played pivotal roles in New York’s win against the Cleveland Guardians. Bauers and Calhoun are unlikely names to be playing heroes on a star-studded Yankees roster, but this is the current state of the ballclub.

Bauers had been tearing it up in the minors to start the season and as things became more and more dire in the Bronx, the clamoring for the 27-year-old grew from the fan base. The decision-makers began to take notice as well and he found himself called up to the big leagues as the offense struggled to produce runs.

Wednesday was the first full game Bauers played after making his debut on Saturday when he suffered a knee injury after running into the outfield wall trying to make a catch. In his second at-bat of the night, Bauers hit the long ball into the short porch in right.

“I don’t really find anything too hard to believe anymore, to be honest with you,” Bauers said when asked about the wild ride this season has been. “I’ve said it the past couple days, I’m really just taking everything as it comes. Life kind of just rolls that way. So you really never know what’s gonna happen tomorrow. All you gotta do is enjoy the day.”

Willie Calhoun rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on May 3, 2023.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

It hasn’t been lost on anyone about the Yankees’ circumstances going into May. The team picked up back-to-back comeback wins over the Guardians with relatively unsung heroes getting the job done in the absences of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Bauers, for one game anyway, managed to translate his .319 batting average and nine home runs in the minors into production at the major-league level. Calhoun, despite a bit of a rough patch, has slashed .346/.357/.577 in his last eight games and had back-to-back nights with home runs.

Willie Calhoun's starting to heat up at the plate over his last eight games👀
.346/.357/.577
155 wRC+
2 HRs
5 RBI
56.0% Hard Hit%
With the injuries mounting, Calhoun's vying to keep his spot on the team moving forward, has he found his swing? #NYY pic.twitter.com/3ffDDyS97t

— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) May 4, 2023

“Now is that opportunity for some guys,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Where you look for people to step up when things aren’t perfect, or you’re down some guys. And fortunately, we had those two guys., in Willie’s case again, step up.”