Yankees News: Hitting Coach Dillon Lawson Fired with NY in 4th Place in AL East

The New York Yankees are making a change at hitting coach.

Dillon Lawson will be relieved of his duties amidst 49-42 start this season and the team's offensive woes with the injured Aaron Judge out of the lineup:

General manager Brian Cashman released the following statement on Sunday:

"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. 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 thank Dillon for all his efforts. He has a bright baseball mind that will continue to lead to a long and fruitful baseball career."

When Cashman was asked in late June about why the Yankees weren't seeing incoming hitters improve when they joined the team, he defended Lawson.

"He knows his stuff, plus I know how the whole ecosystem works, so whether it was when [hitting coaches] Marcus Thames was here or Kevin Long or even back to [Chris] Chambliss, they weren't the end all be all," he said, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "You had coaching clinics taking place. You had data support. You have your veteran presence that has their own style, and it is just partnering with them. Nothing is different now."

But the Yankees have undeniably been struggling at the dish. Since Aaron Judge last played on June 3, the Yankees are just 14-17 and remain eight games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and one game behind the Houston Astros for the final Wild Card spot.

In June, the team collectively hit .208 with just 29 homers in 23 games. In July, that average is up to a still-mediocre .227, though the power numbers (11 dingers in nine games) aren't dramatically improved.

And so Cashman made a change. If the team continues to produce consistent offense and falls further back in the playoff picture, it's fair to question if even bigger changes might be coming.