Around the Empire: Yankees news - 11/21/19

In classic Yankees fashion, the organization made us wait till after the eight o’ clock deadline to find out who they would protect from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. With a 36 man-roster at the beginning of the day and plenty of minor league talent to protect as highlighted by Jonathan Mayo’s recent MLB.com post, it was clear the Yankees needed to make room for a few newcomers. Yankees Twitter brought us the news, as Estevan Florial, Deivi Garcia, Luis Gil, Brooks Kriske, Luis Medina, Nick Nelson, and Miguel Yajure were added to the 40-man roster. Additionally, Jacoby Ellsbury has been released while Greg Bird and Nestor Cortes Jr. have been designated for assignment.

New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: Now that Brian Cashman has publicly stated the third base job in the Bronx is Gio Urshela’s to lose, many offers are coming in regarding Miguel Andujar. His rookie season can not go overlooked even with the plethora of options the Yankees have in the infield, but it’s easy to wonder where he fits now. The Yankees could try him out at first base or the corner outfield positions to add some flexibility into his skill set. He’s an incredible offensive piece for the organization and packaging him in a trade could be the other option.

SNY | Danny Abriano: The Yankees will be in the market for top starting pitching targets Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. There are plenty of second-tier pitchers available, including Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Each has the ability to be an ace on any given roster even though Cole and Strasburg figure to be more of a sure thing. Getting one of the top guys would be great but it’s always good to have a plan B.

New York Post | Justin Tasch: More news on Andujar, who had season-ending surgery during late May. He posted a few videos on Instagram as he prepares for 2020. The videos show the young Bomber taking reps at third base, where he has obviously struggled defensively. It’s good to see him healthy.