Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/26/17

MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: The Yankees and the Athletics continue to have talks surrounding pitcher Sonny Gray. The Yankees are supposedly the favorites to land Gray as they’re “making progress” towards a deal that could possibly bring both him and first baseman Yonder Alonso to New York. The A’s are apparently looking for young center fielders and Estevan Florial is reportedly high on their list.

NJ.com | Joe Giglio: Some injury updates as Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks are working their way back. Both Austin and Hicks have started swinging off a tee and could swing in a cage soon. Austin actually did some fieldwork as well. Joe Girardi said both he and Hicks are probably at the same place. There’s currently no timetable for Starlin Castro to return, as Girardi said they’ll know more about his status after five or six days.

New York Daily News | Christian Red: Jacoby Ellsbury has officially been relegated to fourth outfielder duty for now. He’ll still start here and there, but Girardi sees a role for him as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner late in games. He’s going with the hot hand in Clint Frazier and the Yankees are better for it. Ellsbury, though, still wants to play and thinks he can work his way back into a starting role.

ESPN: Todd Frazier won’t forget his first at-bat as a Yankee at Yankee Stadium. In the second inning with the bases loaded and no one out, Frazier hit a ball that bounced right to the Reds’ shortstop. What should have been a standard double play was turned into a triple play after Didi Gregorius got stuck in a rundown. However, the Yankees did at least a run out of it, which was the first time a run scored on a triple play since 2006. It was also the first triple play against the Yankees since 2011.

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