Mike Francesa
Asbury Park Press

The Yankees are banged up right now. But Mike Francesa does not believe injuries are the reason for the Bombers’ recent swoon. Nor does he think everything will be fixed once those sidelined stars return.

“The Yankees aren’t great when they’re healthy,” the WFAN legend said on his latest BetRivers podcast. “When they’re healthy, there are still holes in this team. Big holes in this team. When they’re at full strength and everyone is answering the call, they still have issues. … They are a bad-looking ballclub that is .500. And .500 in their division gets you last place.”

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The Yankees are 15-15 after Monday’s brutal loss to the Guardians in the Bronx. They are last in the AL East and sit 8.5 games back of the first-place Rays. They have scored two or fewer runs in each game during their current four-game skid. Francesa pointed out they had six starters in Monday’s lineup hitting under .217 with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton currently on the injured list (Harrison Bader was activated on Tuesday) and Aaron Hicks inexplicably still employed.

“You can get into the Yankee lineup now without having to hit to get there,” Francesa said. “And that is something that has never, ever been the case. To break into the Yankee lineup with any regularity, you had a stick. Now, you just have to have a pulse.”

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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.