The New York Yankees have a Gary Sanchez problem that goes

This isn't about a game in July. It's about games in October Sean Newcomb Jersey , and whether the Yankees can win a championship with him behind the plate."No way they can win in the playoffs with Sanchez catching," one National League scout said Tuesday.I'm not sure I buy that, because Sanchez was the starting catcher for 12 of the 13 games the Yankees played last October, when they took the Houston Astros to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. They're 35-18 in the 53 games he has started behind the plate this season, which is better than their record in games when he hasn't been the starting catcher (28-17 entering play Tuesday).I do buy that Sanchez's continuing defensive struggles and his issues with concentration and hustle have presented Yankees manager Aaron Boone with the first big issue to solve in what has been an ultra-smooth first season in charge.It's easy to jump on Sanchez this week, because the two lack-of-hustle plays in Monday's 7-6 Yankees loss to the Tampa Bay Rays were so inexcusable鈥攅ven after finding out Sanchez was dealing with the groin issue that sent him back to the disabled list Tuesday. Sanchez allowed a run to score from second base when he didn't move fast enough to recover a passed ball (his 10th of the season, tied for most in the majors). And he was retired at first base for the game's final out, on a play in which the Rays first tried unsuccessfully to get Aaron Hicks at second base.It's easy to jump on Sanchez this year, because his .188 batting average (down from .278 last year) and .699 OPS (down from .876) have made it harder to overlook the transgressions in other parts of his game.It's easy to jump on Sanchez, because on his way through the Yankees farm system he sometimes had similar issues, with the Yankees using benchings, suspensions and "timeouts" to convince him he had to grow up. And because some of the same issues they tried to correct then鈥攃oncentration lapses and poor receiving technique鈥攈ave been so evident this season."What you're seeing now is what we all saw in the minor leagues before 2015," an American League scout said.Sanchez went back on the disabled list Tuesday Preston Tucker Jersey , but his play remains a major concern for the Yankees.Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesThe Yankees stuck with Sanchez then, believing his strong right arm and powerful bat would make him worth the effort. It helped that despite the benchings and suspensions, Sanchez never had a reputation as a bad kid, just as one who needed to mature.Two years ago, it seemed they were right to wait. Sanchez came to the big leagues and hit 20 home runs in just 53 games, including 11 in one stunning 15-game stretch in August.It was easy to love Sanchez in 2016. When I did a story on him that September, I quoted a scout who pointed to Monument Park and said, "That's where he could end up."Then came 2017, when on the one hand Sanchez became just the second catcher born in the Dominican Republic to make an All-Star team (Tony Pena was the first). On the other hand, his defense was enough of an issue that then-Yankees manager Joe Girardi publicly scolded him and even benched him for a game in August.Boone has been more publicly supportive, to the point of telling reporters Tuesday at Tropicana Field that he wouldn't have benched Sanchez for Monday's transgressions. Sanchez didn't play Tuesday, but only because he went back on the disabled list with the recurrence of the groin injury that had already sidelined him for 20 games before he returned over the weekend.To his credit, Sanchez didn't blame his lack of hustle on the sore groin Zack Greinke Jersey , which he said he felt tighten up on the first-inning passed ball."An injury is never an excuse," Sanchez said, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. "If I'm on the field, I'm good to play. My answer is the same [as Monday]: I could have done a better job."Sanchez hasnt hit as well this year as Judge, but his 14 home runs are tied for first among major league catchers.Paul Bereswill/Getty ImagesEven that wasn't enough for many Yankees fans, or for rival scouts who have grown tired of watching Sanchez mess up over the years."He always owns up to it," one American League scout said. "But then it happens again."Even so, that same scout said, "I'd still take the bat."Four scouts interviewed Tuesday about Sanchez were unanimous in still believing in Sanchez's offensive potential. Some speculated his struggles have come from trying to pull the ball too often, while others wondered whether his problems on defense evolved into a confidence issue that has hurt his offense as well.All agreed the Sanchez problem is a challenging one for the Yankees. Their other young players cause them little concern, with Aaron Judge one of the most respected players in the game and Gleyber Torres fitting in seamlessly after a late-April promotion from the minor leagues.Sanchez is the one who complicates things. He always has been.When it was that way in the minor leagues, the Yankees decided it was worth the aggravation he caused to find out how good a player he could become. They may well decide that again, but after what happened Monday http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , it's a question they once again must answer. Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball. SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year deal with Martin Maldonado on Saturday, giving them a veteran catcher after losing Salvador Perez to a season-ending injury.The deal includes up to $1.4 million in incentives for games caught, according to a person familiar with the terms, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Maldonado still must pass a physical for the contract to become official.Maldonado spent last season with the Angels and Astros, hitting .225 with nine homers and 44 RBIs in 119 games. But his biggest strength has been his ability to frame pitches and play defense, and his experience should help what is expected to be a young Royals team this season.In fact, Maldonado’s Gold Glove in 2017 broke Perez’s streak of four straight.Perez underwent Tommy John surgery last week after tearing a ligament in his throwing arm during a spring training workout. Perez is expected to remain with the club while rehabbing this season, and the hope is that the six-time All-Star will be ready by next spring.“We move on. That’s the way it is,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Salvy is going to be with us all year long, he’s going to be there doing his rehab — the rehab is a difficult process. But we have to continue to move forward.”Perez’s injury meant the Royals were poised to enter the season with Cam Gallagher, a defensive-minded career backup Randy Johnson Jersey , and 22-year-old Meibrys Viloria, who has had just 22 big league at-bats.They had also been mulling the use of Frank Schwindel, a college catcher now at first base.But general manager Dayton Moore said he would seek a veteran backstop, whether it was through free agency or a trade. And speculation quickly settled upon the 32-year-old Maldonado, mainly because he was the only veteran that wasn’t already in a major league camp.He broke into the majors with Milwaukee in 2011 and spent his first six years there, before a season-plus with the Angeles. Los Angeles traded him to the Astros last July, and Maldonado helped the club reach the AL Championship Series before losing to the Boston Red Sox.He will have a quick turnaround before opening day.The Royals played the Diamondbacks on Saturday and face the Padres on Sunday, then have split-squad games against the Mariners and Rangers on Monday. But after that, they have just 14 more games before the start of the regular season, including split-squad games next weekend.Kansas City opens the regular season March 28 against the White Sox.