The New York Yankees are 54-42 and three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. At times, they’ve looked like the best team in the league. Other times, they’ve looked entirely flawed and in need of major upgrades.Given how weak the AL is this season, the Yankees are almost a lock to head to the postseason, barring a collapse of epic proportions. FanGraphs puts their odds at 97.2 percent.“We’ve given ourselves a chance to realize all our hopes and dreams,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday. “Our goal is to play for and win a championship, and that’s still there for the taking. It’s going to be a long road, a tough road, but hopefully one that we’re up to the challenge for.”The Yankees resume their season Friday night against the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.What tool would the All-Star Game players take from each other?Jayne Orenstein, Rebecca Tauber and moreHere are our midseason grades for the Yankees players as the second half gets underway.(Pitchers with five or fewer outings and hitters with fewer than 35 plate appearances are not listed.)PitchersDavid Bednar, RHPChris Kirschner grade: B+Bednar has been a new pitcher since cutting his curveball usage after blowing a save against the New York Mets on May 17. Since then, he’s been virtually unhittable. It’s hard to give him an A, though, given his early-season struggles.Brendan Kuty grade: A-Bednar hasn’t given up an earned run since May 18, and there aren’t many fans pining for the days of Devin Williams.Jake Bird, RHPKirschner grade: D-There just aren’t many things Bird does particularly well outside of limiting walks. He hangs too many sweepers over the heart of the plate, which often results in loud contact.Kuty grade: DThe stuff is undeniable, but he should become another team’s project by the trade deadline.Paul Blackburn, RHPKirschner grade: AWhat a revelation Blackburn has been. There were many — myself included — who did not understand why the Yankees needed two long men in their bullpen, but Blackburn has carved out a role as a traditional reliever, slowly earning his way into the circle of trust.Kuty grade: ABoone recently refused to liken Blackburn’s role to the one Luke Weaver played in 2024 and 2025, but I will. He deserves to keep getting high-leverage looks.Angel Chivilli, RHPKirschner grade: IncompleteI don’t think we’ll see Chivilli on the postseason roster, but he’s been solid as of late. His two-inning appearance last week against the Tampa Bay Rays was clutch.Kuty grade: IncompleteA crackling 97.8 mph fastball makes it easy to see what the Yankees like in him, but can he stick in the majors past the trade deadline?Gerrit Cole, RHPKirschner grade: CCole has been fine. He’s weirdly not getting much swing-and-miss, even though the stuff is good. He owns a 4.04 ERA and a strikeout rate of 22.7 percent, which is near league average. The command has been hit or miss, which isn’t surprising since he’s coming off a long layoff.Kuty grade: B-Cole gets a small pass because he’s returning from Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees need him to get his command right by October.Fernando Cruz has a 2.25 ERA, 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and an A grade from our beat writers. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)Fernando Cruz, RHPKirschner grade: ACruz has been spectacular. He’s everything you could want in a pitcher. He strikes out batters at a 29.9 percent clip and ranks in the top percentile in hard-hit rate. Cruz has also stranded 30 of 35 inherited runners this season as the Yankees’ fireman.Kuty grade: AThe splitter has been disgusting; he’s never afraid of a big moment, and a 40.9 percent whiff rate helps, too.Camilo Doval, RHPKirschner grade: FWhat a confounding pitcher. The talent is undeniably there, and yet it’s impossible to trust Doval when he’s in the game. He’s impossible to write off because few in the world can throw a baseball as hard as he can, and yet it doesn’t matter when he’s this ineffective.Kuty grade: D-The Yankees have pushed him so far down the pecking order that the next logical step would be a demotion to Triple A or to work at a concession stand.Max Fried, LHPKirschner grade: BFried’s command didn’t look good in spring training, and those struggles persisted until he injured his elbow in May. But even without his usual A-plus command, Fried was effective. He pitched to a 3.21 ERA and didn’t allow much hard contact, which is what he’s known for.Kuty grade: A-Fried didn’t look like himself in April, and he was probably dealing with the elbow bone bruise earlier than he let on. Still, he mostly shoved.Brent Headrick, LHPKirschner grade: A+Boone deserves credit here: In the offseason, the manager said he thought Headrick would be an important reliever for the Yankees this season. He’s arguably become their best reliever, period. He has a 1.55 ERA and gets lefties and righties out.Kuty grade: AIt’s hard to blame the Yankees for running Headrick out there 47 times — the second-most appearances in MLB. He’s been lights out.