The New York Yankees are playing awful baseball right now. It feels weird to say it, especially since they were on pace to hit the 120-win mark at some point in the season. Now, though, New York is merely a shell of their first-half selves. Their hitting outside of Aaron Judge has been atrocious, and their pitchers can't bail out their hitters every game.

No play could exemplify the Yankees' collapse more than this brutal error from Aaron Hicks against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hicks has been having a disastrous year for the pinstripes. His hitting has fallen off a cliff (hitting just .212 for the season), and his defense has been… well, bad. Now, this play will only serve to make him more reviled in the Bronx. (via MLB Errors)

After missing out on the catch at left field, Aaron Hicks just seemed to give up on the play. Whether it's due to frustration or not realizing it was a fair ball is irrelevant. That lack of urgency has doomed the Yankees all season long. Now, the precious lead in the AL East is shrinking right before their eyes.

The Rays are now just 4.5 games away from the Yankees' division lead. Remember, New York led this division by double-digits for most of the first half of the season. If they're not careful, they can lose out on a crucial bye for the playoffs.

This is make-or-break time for the Yankees. If they want to prove that they're a legitimate threat to the World Series race, they'll need to stop making boneheaded plays like this.