The New York Yankees return to Yankee Stadium for Tuesday’s matchup against the Kansas City Royals holding an 8–6 record and looking to assert control after a mixed start to their 2025 campaign. Though their record is solid and they’ve demonstrated the explosive offensive potential fans expect—driven by the towering presence of Aaron Judge and the addition of Juan Soto—the Yankees have been inconsistent in closing out games and have posted a middling 6–7 mark against the spread. Still, when playing at home, their lineup is capable of overwhelming opposing pitchers quickly, and with names like Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, and Gleyber Torres offering offensive support around Judge and Soto, New York always has the capacity to hang crooked numbers on the scoreboard in a hurry. The key, however, continues to be starting pitching: while Gerrit Cole remains sidelined, the rest of the rotation has been a bit of a mixed bag, with Clarke Schmidt, Carlos Rodón, and Nestor Cortes all showing flashes but needing to deliver more consistency deep into games. Tuesday’s starter will be tasked with neutralizing Kansas City’s contact-heavy lineup early to avoid allowing the Royals to build momentum and apply their signature brand of pressure on the basepaths. On the defensive side, the Yankees have been mostly dependable, but lapses have occasionally let close games slip away—a point of emphasis manager Aaron Boone is likely reiterating behind closed doors.

The bullpen, long one of New York’s greatest strengths, has again been leaned on heavily and will need to continue protecting slim leads while navigating the fatigue of early April workloads. In this matchup, the Yankees’ path to success lies in setting the tone early, getting ahead in counts, and forcing the Royals to play from behind, where they’re far less effective. Offensively, patience at the plate could pay off—working pitch counts against Kansas City’s inconsistent rotation could result in high-leverage at-bats for Judge and Soto by the middle innings. The team will also look to reestablish dominance at home after recent close calls, and Tuesday presents an opportunity to capitalize on a team they’ve traditionally fared well against, going 4–1 in their last five head-to-head meetings. If the Yankees can keep Kansas City’s hitters quiet early and maintain offensive pressure, they should be in a strong position to secure another win and continue building momentum in the American League East. For a team with postseason expectations, these are the kinds of home games they need to control decisively—and the Bronx faithful will expect nothing less than a sharp, aggressive performance from the opening pitch.