Yankees' Ryan McMahon is making a big change for the 2026 MLB season

Ryan McMahon wasn't happy with how last season went.

So entering his first season with the New York Yankees, McMahon is making a big change.

His batting stance won't look nearly the same for 2026.

Last season, McMahon had a wide stance, his feet spread quite apart from front to back.

He's narrowed that out now.

Here's how it looked in Spring Training action on Saturday:

Ryan McMahon just hit a double the other way. Here's a look at his new, narrower stance (sorry, no side views available atm), as well as the story below on why he and the #Yankees wanted to make that change. https://t.co/V4WJqD3dI9 pic.twitter.com/bvg1mXSvHv

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McMahon told Phillips of the New York Daily News that he didn't always have that much space between his face in the way he did last season, when it measured 42.7 inches between front and back feet.

“There’s plenty of video of me in the past where I’m not nearly that wide, and a lot of better things are happening in my swing,” McMahon told Phillips.

He and his hitting coaches believe that his hip rotation suffered by having his feet so wide.

McMahon hit just .214 with a .693 OPS in 2025, hitting 20 home runs but also struggling with swing-and-miss.

He was a better hitter earlier in his career, seemingly when his feet weren't as spread out.

This change has a chance to boost a Yankees lineup that otherwise looks very similar to last season. They're running it back, but if McMahon takes a step forward, it could be a key upgrade just by fixing something that had gone awry. 

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