I have seen this press gathering before.

At least once a year for the past quarter century, at a time of perceived crisis, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman metaphorically perp walks through the haze of questions that come with his mega-team at a time of struggle. In some form, he is asked why does this area of your team stink, who is culpable for it and what is going to be done about it? His posture generally is to offer patience and perspective; both of which tend to only further antagonize his many fire-Cashman detractors.

Nothing much was different Wednesday, when Cashman sat in the home dugout before the Yankees played the Guardians and absorbed 25 minutes of inquiries into why so many injuries, underperformance and, really, why so many injuries? He had planned to do this before Tuesday’s tilt, with the Yankees in the midst of a four-game losing streak. But work forced an audible. Instead, at the moment he chatted, his Yankees were 16-15, not, say, 10-20 like the NL Central-favorite Cardinals.

Expectations are just different around here.

In the fierce AL East, the Yankees were last, the offense was miserable and the injury list was at 12 bodies and more than $150 million in 2023 luxury-tax obligation. So Cashman defended the process by which the Yankees procure players and physically care for them and insisted multiple times that it is a long season and implored: “Don’t give up on us. That’s all I can tell you. Don’t count us out, don’t give up on us. We’ve got a good group of people, player-wise, staff-wise, support staff-wise. It’s a championship-caliber operation from that perspective, but we’re not currently flying at the level that we would have expected because we’re missing some really important pieces, which I think anybody would acknowledge.”

In the 25 individual seasons in which Cashman has offered some version of this commentary, I have had doubts quite often that the GM was saying words because what other choice did he have? But it felt like the quicksand was too thick. Yet, his Yankees have always found a way to contend and, in every year but four, make the playoffs. So I will not bet against that happening again.

There is a path with Carlos Rodon and Luis Severino in which their already strong run prevention could become iron clad. Aaron Judge is due back next week and Giancarlo Stanton by the end of the month. And, well, there is something in the Yankees’ DNA to win even when not playing particularly well.

But I also would not bet on this group. Because this feels like more than a five-week malaise. The Yankees reached their high-water mark last season at 61-23 on July 8. Since then, including the postseason, they were 57-61.

This could emphasize Cashman’s “long season” perspective — perhaps the Yankees are going to assemble their 61-23 later in the season. But what beset the Yankees in the second half last season — injuries and an offensive overreliance on Judge — hasn’t vanished. After the All-Star break last season, Judge had a 1.286 OPS and the rest of the team was .652. That was with a healthy, historic Judge. This season the Yankees team OPS was .676, Judge included. Cashman added no lineup impact in the offseason and lost Andrew Benintendi and Matt Carpenter. And when I note the record in that time, Cashman notes it is unfair because of the injuries since the middle of last year.

But that’s the problem. Is there really going to be some magic moment when all the key components are healthy? Or will Judge come back and the inevitable back malady strike Anthony Rizzo? Will Stanton come back and DJ LeMahieu break down for a third straight year? And how long will Stanton stay healthy or Severino or Rodon? History says not long.

Cashman’s high-profile personnel moves from the 2021 trade deadline until today have mostly not gone well. They are replete with ineffectiveness or injuries and depleted upper-level talent that sure would be helpful for the 2023 team as internal support or for further trades.

For a team with a nearly $300 million payroll, the Yankees are at the mercy of their two most expensive players, Judge and Gerrit Cole. The distribution of talent up and down the roster is not nearly as good as that of the Rays and Blue Jays, and since the Orioles and Red Sox are hardly knockovers, the division is going to be difficult to navigate from bottom to top with so much physical and performance uncertainty.

History, though, tells us to trust Cashman’s call not to give up on the Yankees. History tells us they will be fine. I wouldn’t bet against them.

But there is the kind of fragility to scream not to bet on the 2023 Yankees either.