Aaron Boone reunites with former teammate as Yankees find new hitting coach

The Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson after the team's 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

New York enters the All-Star break in fourth place in the AL East at 49-42, just one game ahead of the last-place Boston Red Sox (48-43) and one game behind the third-place Toronto Blue Jays (50-41), but eight games back of the division-leading Tampa Bays Rays (58-35). The Blue Jays and Houston Astros are tied for the final two AL wild card spots, meaning Boone's club wouldn't be in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 if the season ended today.

Arguably the biggest reason for the Yankees inconsistent first half has been their offense.

Multiple injuries to 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge have cratered New York's lineup production, but it's still a surprise to see the team near the bottom of the league in a host of offensive categories.

Despite being fifth in MLB in home runs (129), the Yankees are also tied with the Detroit Tigers for the second-worst team batting average in the league (.231) and rank 29th in hits (690).

With Judge's uncertain timetable for a return, Casey has a tough job ahead.

"The Mayor" made his big-league debut in 1997 with the Cleveland then-Indians and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds just before the 1998 campaign. Boone and Casey spent five-plus seasons together before the former was sent to the Yankees at the 2003 trade deadline.

Boone made his only career All-Star team that year and finished the season with 24 home runs, 23 stolen bases and a career-high 96 RBI (65 of which came with the Reds), while Casey led the team in runs scored (71), hits (167) and RBI (80).

Casey made all three of his All-Star teams during his seven-plus years in Cincinnati, before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in December 2005. The now-49-year-old announced his retirement following the 2008 season, during which he played 69 games in with the Boston Red Sox.

Casey's been a baseball analyst for MLB Network and worked as a Reds color commentator since his retirement.