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Around the Empire: Yankees news - 6/18/17

Girardi still puzzled by Tanaka’s inability to figure things out; Gleyber Torres leaves a game early due to injury; Aaron Judge is still beloved by his hometown of Linden, California; Chapman expected to be activated today; a look at the decision’s behind the Yankees’ first couple of draft picks

By Greg Kirkland
MLB: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Yeah yeah, I see you looking at me over there.
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Around the Empire

MLB.com | Alex Simon: It was a milestone day for Masahiro Tanaka. He struck out ten batters in four innings. That’s good. Tanaka also allowed three home runs in those four innings. That’s bad. Joe Girardi is still not sure what’s going on with Tanaka. In the past, he would usually correct his mechanics or other issues. This year, not so much. Despite his recent struggles, Girardi is not ready to discount the past three years of watching him pitch. He still believe Tanaka can turn it around. Here’s hoping, cause this is not fun to watch.

Newsday | Erik Boland: This has been quite an awful week for the Yankees. Losses, poor play, bullpen meltdowns, and injuries galore. Not even the minors is a safe haven. Yesterday, Gleyber Torres left the game in the fourth inning due to a hyper-extended left elbow. The X-rays came back negative and he will be evaluated further on Monday. Bubble wrap everyone.

New York Daily News | Evan Grossman: Aaron Judge is a popular player. He’s extremely popular in the Bronx. It turns out that his hometown of Linden, California loves him as well. Busloads of fans from Linden arrived at the Coliseum to see Judge play and cheer him on. Former high school coaches and teammates showed up to give him congratulations and hugs. A lot of them say that the way Judge has carried himself with the attention and fame is no different than how he acted back in high school. What a guy.

New York Post | George A. King III: Aroldis Chapman will return from the DL today. Considering how awful the bullpen pitchers not-named Dellin Betances have been, the Yankees are looking forward to having their closer back. Domingo German, who relieved Tanaka yesterday, gave the bullpen a much needed day of rest. With Luis Cessa pitching in today’s game, that rest will hopefully help if/when they are needed.

New York Daily News | John Harper: The Yankees, and people who blog a lot about the Yankees, had a busy week covering the MLB Draft. Drafting Clarke Schmidt in the first round was an interesting and somewhat odd move for the Yankees. Jim Callis speculated that the pick didn’t make much sense until they drafted Matt Sauer, due to the money it would take to sign Sauer. An interesting read regarding the Yankees’ top picks in this year’s draft.

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