The New York Yankees are 41-34, have looked lost without their best player, last year's MVP Aaron Judge, and owner Hal Steinbrenner said he's “confused” about why Yankees fans are upset. In other words, it's time to panic in New York.

In reality, the proverbial panic button is always kept nearby by most Yankees fans, but these are pretty dire times. If the Yankees played in any other division besides the American League East, fans could breathe a little bit easier.

But the Tampa Bay Rays continue to do their best impression of the 116-win 2001 Seattle Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles sit just 6.5 games back off of the Rays' torrid pace.

Yes, it's still June- long season yada yada yada- but the fact is, the Yankees don't have the luxury of time. They need to figure things out- and fast.

So, with the All-Star break approaching and the MLB trade deadline on the horizon, let's take a hard look at the Yankees. Let's examine four trends that should really concern fans.

Yankees' 4 most concerning trends

4. Anthony Volpe's strikeouts 

Look, I'm as big a fan of Anthony Volpe as any. He's a great kid, he's humble and he so badly wants to be successful at the major league level. And he will.

But that doesn't change the fact that his rookie season has been incredibly underwhelming. Through 75 games, Volpe sports a .196/.273/.364 triple slash line with 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases.

The 22-year-old Yankees shortstop has made things happen on the bases- he has yet to be caught stealing- but there's one problem.

He hasn't been on base enough for the Yankees to feel his full impact. Worse still, the ball hasn't even made it into the infield in a third of his plate appearances.

Volpe's 84 strikeouts lead the Yankees by a fair margin- and have him tied for the 10th-most in all of MLB.

Volpe's 13.6 percent swinging strike rate and 71.9 percent contact rate- per Fangraphs- further illustrate the swing-and-miss problem he's been having.

With Volpe's speed, simply putting the ball in play gives him a chance to get on base- where he's been a menace to opposing pitchers.

But the way he's striking out, he's not even giving himself a chance. Volpe could be pressing, or it could be a mechanical issue.

Whatever it is, the Yankees need him to start getting the bat on the ball and cut down on the strikeouts.

3. Giancarlo Stanton's slump

Where in the world is Giancarlo Stanton? Stanton, who many thought– this author included- would have to shoulder the load without Aaron Judge- seems to have missed the memo.

In fact, the hulking slugger is in the midst of a brutal slump, one that couldn't have had any worse timing with Judge sidelined.

Stanton is hitting .104 with two home runs and a measly .454 OPS in 48 June at-bats. The plate discipline- 18 strikeouts compared to just four walks- has been nonexistent.

What's even more concerning is the fact that Stanton's slump to start this season seems to coincide with his brutal struggles- .582 OPS and seven home runs- in the second half of the 2022 season.

To be fair, Stanton has dealt with plenty of injuries during his Yankees career. But he's seemingly healthy right now and simply not producing.

If there's anything to be optimistic about, it's the fact that Stanton's telling Statcast metrics- barrel rate, exit velocity and hard-hit rate- remain around his career averages.

In other words, there is hope for a bounce-back. But it's incredibly concerning just how ineffective Stanton has been at the plate since 2022.

2. Yankees starters not named Gerrit Cole

You really want to scare a Yankees fan? Ask them where the 2023 team would be without ace Gerrit Cole in the starting rotation.

Answer: nowhere good. A simple look at the numbers seems to show that New York sports one of the best pitching rotations in baseball, as the club ranks sixth in team ERA. However, the number is misleading, as the Yankees rank first in baseball in bullpen ERA, 2.91, per Fangraphs.

Yankees starters? They check in at 16th, with a 4.39 ERA- and Cole is largely the reason the rotation is even passable.

The Yankees ace has pitched to an 8-1 record with a 2.64 ERA, his best mark since joining the club, and 106 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched.

Cole has made 16 starts- the Yankees are 12-4 in those games- and 29-30 in games pitched by the rest of their rotation.

Quite simply, New York lives for when Cole takes the mound- especially given the performance of the rest of the starters.

Domingo German has had several run-ins with umpires and sticky stuff- and has pitched to a ghastly 5.10 ERA through it all. Last year's breakout star, Nestor Cortes, lost the ability to go deep into games before landing on the injured list with a 5.16 ERA and a shoulder injury.

Finally, Luis Severino, once-upon-a-time the Yankees' ace, looks so far gone from that guy, with an unimaginable 6.30 ERA.

The Yankees have gotten nothing out of starters not named Cole. It's worth noting that this off-season's prized acquisition, Carlos Rodon, has yet to throw a pitch in pinstripes due to a forearm strain and a bad back.

Rodon will help when he returns in July. But anyone who thinks Rodon will fix this Yankees rotation is kidding themselves.

1. The Yankees' dependence on Aaron Judge 

If you thought the Yankees were dependent on Gerrit Cole, wait until you hear this about Aaron Judge. In 48 games with Judge in the lineup, New York is 29-19, or a .604 winning percentage, which is just under the .611 winning percentage they posted last season.

Without Judge? The Yankees are 19-15. The offense is less than stagnant- they have scored five or more runs just three times without Judge in June.

So bad have the non-Judge Yankees been, that owner Hal Steinbrenner channeled his father by calling out “veterans” on the team who “need to step up.”

Steinbrenner didn't name names- he didn't have to.

The likes of Stanton, Josh Donaldson, DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo have been laughably bad at the plate without Judge.

Judge will eventually return and hopefully bring some normalcy to the Yankees lineup. Until he does, New York's veterans need to start producing like the back of their baseball cards.