New York Yankees: 5 Keys for a Yankee Turnaround

The New York Yankees are struggling pretty badly this season. They have a nice record and are tied at the top of the division with the Rays. However, they are missing a little something, especially on the offensive side; their hitting has taken a big step back and been disappointing. All of the players are going through a major slump right now, and the Yankees have underperformed, to say the least.

This slideshow features the keys for the Yankees' success.

1. Give Alex Rodriguez a Break!

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees singles on a ground ball in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on April 25, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Ima

This guy needs a break. For the season, he has only hit five homers and has a .259 batting average coming into Wednesday.

I am all for having A-Rod sit out for a few days if it means that he will be fully rested and able to smash once again. It is apparent that he just cannot drive one out of the park very easily right now, most probably because of a slight injury he suffered in his oblique and possibly his hip.

If Rodriguez becomes fully healthy, he will be able to bring up his numbers significantly and have a solid 30 home run season. At this rate, however, things look bad for him.

2. Call Up Jesus

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ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 12: World Futures All-Star Jesus Montero of the New York Yankees bats during the 2009 XM All-Star Futures Game at Busch Stadium on July 12, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

This kid can flat-out hit. I do not understand why the Yankees cannot call him up already because he has had more than a season in AAA and has proved himself to be an effective hitter.

Last year, he had a .289 BA with 21 HR despite a horrible start to the season. This year, he has upped his average, hitting a bulky .333. Despite his one homer this season, I truly believe Montero is ready for the majors, and he at least deserves a shot to play on the big league squad.

I think that for now he could be used on the bench, with Ramiro Pena being sent back down to AAA. This would allow Eduardo Nunez to play 3B, SS and 2B whenever needed. Francisco Cervelli and Russell Martin have enough experience to be emergency backups as well.

If Montero can prove himself to be big league-ready on the bench, and if he can provide a spark, Joe Girardi would give him more time and probably split the DH spot between him and Jorge Posada for the time being.

3. Get the Bullpen Right

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: Rafael Soriano #29 of the New York Yankees pitches during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers on April 16, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Rangers 5-2. (Photo by Jim

Rafael Soriano was paid the big bucks but has failed. He has shown some stretches of success but has lacked consistency. The quickest solution to the Yankees failures' is fixing the bullpen. The Yanks lack a true LOOGY despite having Boone Logan.

If Soriano can become more consistent after working with Larry Rothschild on his mechanics and delivery, I think that he could improve drastically by the end of the season. It is possible, however, that Soriano might just pitch well in closing situations.

If that is the case, the Yankees are screwed because they cannot replace Mariano Rivera (aka the greatest all-time closer in MLB history) with Soriano. If Rivera ever goes down, though, the right man for the job is currently pitching the eighth.

I really love how David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain have been pitching, even though I would have liked to see Chamberlain eventually start for the team. If these two can perform as well as they have been, the Yankees could be in great shape.

4. Hip-Hip Jorge!

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DETROIT, MI - MAY 02: Jorge Posada #20 of the New York Yankees hits a RBI double while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 2, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Jorge Posada has struggled overall this season, although he has made some drastic improvements in his performance of late. Jorge still has a .162 AVG, though, which has to be alarming.

The best solution for Jorge is to be given a break sometime in the near future, in order to either give Rodriguez a much-needed break as the DH (with Pena backing him up at 3B) or to call up Montero and give him a shot at platooning with Georgie.

I think a platoon situation would be best for Posada at this point in his career.

5. Russell!

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 15: Russell Martin of the New York Yankees flies out in the 9th inning for the last at bat against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium on April 15, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Rangers defeated the Yankees 5-3. (Pho

Martin has not hit a homer in a very, very long time indeed. Maybe the reason for this is that he has not juiced up since then. If that is the case, though, I would strongly encourage Girardi and the rest of the training staff to juice up Martin and A-Rod because they need it right now!

Martin is having the same struggles as Rodriguez, as they are both failing at hitting home runs at this moment. The best solution for both of these players is to either offer them steroids (that's a call Girardi has to make) or to give them a couple days off for rest.

By the way, I was just kidding about the whole steroids thing.