Heliot Ramos, acquired by the New York Yankees at the trade deadline to bolster their offense, is experiencing a challenging start with his new team. In his first eight games, Ramos batted .080 (2-for-25) with two doubles, 10 strikeouts, and three walks. This early performance has led Ramos to believe he might be "trying to do too much" at the plate.

"Because I see the ones that I hit not landing," Ramos said Friday from Rogers Centre. "I feel like you’re going to get out — things happen, baseball happens, you’re going to get out. So whenever that happens, I’ve tried to do too much and that’s when the strikeouts happen."

The right-handed hitter was specifically brought in to improve performance against left-handed pitching, but has struggled in those matchups, going 0-for-6 with two walks against lefties. His strikeout rate with the Yankees stands at 33.3 percent, a notable increase from his 26.8 percent rate with the San Francisco Giants.

"That kind of sucks for me," Ramos acknowledged. "But when I hit it, I hit it. So I’ve been feeling pretty good. I just have to stay within myself. I haven’t been chasing a lot, so that’s something I like. I just want to stay positive, stay consistent with it."

Despite the surface-level results, underlying metrics suggest Ramos is hitting the ball effectively. In his 15 balls put in play as a Yankee, his average exit velocity was 93.8 mph, slightly higher than his season average of 92 mph, which ranks in the 88th percentile. Six of his seven balls hit at 95 mph or higher – considered hard-hit – resulted in outs.

Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the lack of results but noted the quality of contact. "He’s squaring the ball up a fair amount," Boone said. "He’s just got to get some to fall and get him going, get him settled a little bit more. I haven’t felt like, ‘Oh man, he’s struggling,’ even though he obviously hasn’t gotten results. Because there’s been a number of balls he’s hit on the screws, lined out to right, lined out to center some. He’s having competitive at-bats. He’s had some tough matchups in there along the way as well. He doesn’t feel like a guy that’s scuffling to me."

Brian Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, indicated that Ramos would receive everyday at-bats in August as the team manages injuries. With players like Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge nearing returns, Ramos could eventually transition into a platoon role, likely in right field. He has been playing left field since his acquisition to help him adjust to the new team, mirroring his previous position with the Giants. The 26-year-old Ramos is still acclimating to the Yankees and their playoff aspirations, just 11 days after the trade.

"It’s definitely strange," Ramos said. "A lot going on, for sure. I feel like I haven’t had the time to sit back and just enjoy where I’m at right now. I have been trying to work and produce. I just want to bring the help. So everything has kind of been quick for me. But I’m getting there."