Aaron Boone provides honest assessment amid Yankees' offensive struggles

The New York Yankees have struggled mightily at the plate over the last week, and manager Aaron Boone is aware the club needs to be better. 

After plating just three runs across 18 innings in back-to-back losses against the Detroit Tigers, Boone provided an honest assessment of his club's struggles and what needs to be done moving forward.

"Bottom line is we've gotta be better. We've got to get better if we're going to be the team we expect to be," Boone said, according to SNY's Alex Smith. "A lot of that is built around what we expect to be offensively, and there's no question that that has to improve. I believe it will improve, but we've got to continue to work and make sure we're making the necessary adjustments every day to get to that point.

"But if we're going to be the club we expect to be, we've got to improve."

The Pinstripes' 199 runs scored is 22nd in Major League Baseball. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have taken care of business, but players like D.J. LeMahieu, Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner have struggled at the dish. 

Before the season began, the Yankees were the betting favorite to represent the American League in this year's World Series. Now that they're third in the AL East behind the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, their odds of returning to MLB's biggest stage are getting more slim.