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Around the Empire
Newsday | Erik Boland: As reported in yesterday’s morning link dump, Jacoby Ellsbury was shut down from all baseball activities due to his headaches returning. Joe Girardi said that the Yankees have no plans to bring up another outfielder from the minors to replace him. Rob Refsynder will get some playing time in the outfield when one of them needs a break. For now, with Gardner, Hicks, and Judge all doing well, there doesn’t seem to be a pressing need for a 4th outfielder.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: In Saturday’s Twins vs. Angels game, Albert Pujols hit a grand slam for his 600th home run. His former teammate, current Yankees’ DH Matt Holliday, had nothing but praise and admiration for Pujols. The two were on the Cardinals together from 2009 to 2011, before Pujols went to Anaheim. Holliday says that he learned a lot about hitting just from talking to Pujols. Not a bad hitting mentor for a player to have.
New York Post | Kevin Kernan: It’s hard to believe how bad Luis Severino’s 2016 season went. It’s fantastic to watch the kind of bounce back year he is currently having. Severino has looked every bit the dominant starting pitcher the Yankees were hoping for. Yesterday’s outing against the Blue Jays was a prime example of how much he has improved. The work he did with Pedro Martinez during the offseason has done wonders for both his command and his confidence. It’s exciting to see him grow. Baseball is fun.
MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: The Yankees have traded infielder Ruben Tejada to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations. I absolutely remembered that Tejada was still a member of the Yankees’ organization before this trade was announced yesterday. Yep. I sure did. With the Yankees’ glut of infielders in their minor league system, Tejada did not seem to have a place in the organization anymore. He will head to the O’s Triple-A team in Norfolk.