‘Dangerous’ Yankees are about to get even better: Here’s how| Klapisch

NEW YORK — I texted with a scout this week about the Yankees’ hot streak, asking if anyone could stop them. The response was a warning to American League clubs.

“(The Yankees) are a ticking time bomb,” the scout wrote, only hours before the Rangers became the latest victims Tuesday night. They held their own for a few innings before the Yankees showed superiority across the board.

They had the better starter (somehow even Triple-A call-up Elmer Rodriguez neutralized Jacob deGrom), a better lineup (they’ve out-scored opponents 113-44 in the last 17 games) and a better bullpen (closer David Bednar hit 97 mph in a five-out save, though he also gave up a run).

The 7-4 victory was the Yankees’ 15^th in 17 games. Given the watered-down talent around the major leagues this season – especially in the AL – the likelihood of a) the emergence of a second powerhouse and b) a prolonged super-slump by Aaron Boone’s roster grows dimmer by the week.

Aside from the Yankees, only two teams are above .500. One of them is the Rays, who deserve credit for sweeping the Yankees in early April. The other is the A’s, who – get this – are in first place in the West. Everyone else is invisible.

The good news for the mediocre horde is a low bar for October. Any Central Division club can make it to the playoffs with 85 wins. However, the Yankees are on the verge of taking their dominance to another level.

Carlos Rodon, who made his final rehab start on Tuesday, will rejoin the rotation in Milwaukee over the weekend. Gerrit Cole is less than a month behind Rodon. That means the Yankees, who already boast the MLB’s lowest rotation ERA (2.77), could have their best one-through-five since the 2009 championship season.

Jazz Chisholm spoke for the group when he said, “We can’t wait” for Cole and Rodon to come on board. Best-case scenario? The two veterans act as mentors to Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, making run-prevention the pathway to the World Series.

Yes, of course, it’s too early to be this overheated. But I’m not alone in thinking the Yankees have fallen into a perfect storm of good luck: weak field, unusually deep roster and the law of averages after 16 years of waiting for a ring. As my scout friend texted, “Injuries could always change things but potential for (a) runaway is there. They’re dangerous.”

If ever there was an omen, it was deGrom’s inability to contain the Yankees despite a first-inning 3-0 lead. DeGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, is not the same pitcher from his peak Mets era. Gone are the days of his 100-mph fastball. But he still averaged 97.8 mph and generated 15 swings and misses.

But the more revealing stat was the Yankees’ relative ease in catching up to deGrom’s heat. They whiffed on only two of his 23 four-seamers. That led to home runs by Ryan McMahon (second inning) and Chisholm (sixth inning). Knocking deGrom out in the seventh inning was no small achievement.

All the Yankees could talk about was Rodriguez composing himself after he allowed three runs in the first inning.

“Credit to Elmer for picking himself up,” Boone said. “He gave us 4 2/3 (innings) after a rough start … it could’ve really gotten away.”

The Yankees instead wore down the Rangers’ bullpen. It’s been the same Terminator-like efficiency over the last six series, with one asterisk. Bednar added 1-2 mph to his fastball. He topped out at a season-high 97-mph fastball during a tense, bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth inning.

Bednar is still in the process of establishing his identity in the Bronx. He’s no Mariano Rivera, but there’ve been hints he could surpass more recent predecessors like Aroldis Chapman and Clay Holmes. All that’s been missing is a consistent four-seamer.

With his velocity down a tick from 2025, at around 95 mph, Bednar, appearing only once in the last six days, was a new man when he faced Corey Seager on Tuesday.

Bednar would only cryptically say that “I’m trusting the process” when asked what restored his velocity.

But he obliterated Seager in a four-pitch strikeout before ending the rally by getting Josh Jung to pop out softly to Chisholm.

“That was the game right there,” Boone said.

Part two is taking the series from Texas. It would be the Yankees’ sixth straight conquest.

Part three welcomes back Rodon and then Cole, after which the possibilities are limitless. If this keeps up, the American League is going to effectively concede, pull up its stakes and let the National League deal with Boone’s crew in October.

My crystal ball, which has a decent batting average, says the Yankees just might sprint straight to the World Series. In the meantime, the confidence in the clubhouse is growing.

“The positivity right now is just crazy,” Chisholm said. “It’s like everyone’s just on a real high horse. We just want to ride it out as long as we can.”

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