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Sports Illustrated | Jon Tayler: With a 9-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels last night, the New York Yankees have become the American League East champions for the first time since 2012. With a 100-54 record with eight games to go, the Yankees are now set to officially embark on their quest for their 28th World Series Championship. Do they have what it takes? Time will tell, but there are plenty of reasons for optimism.
CBS Sports | Katherine Acquavella: Yesterday, Major League Baseball placed Yankees pitcher Domingo German on administrative leave pending a domestic violence investigation. As part of the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence policy, German may be on administrative leave for seven days, barring an extension. Both Major League Baseball and the Yankees have made statements on the issue, and as of now, Aaron Boone has stated that the team is planning for the playoffs without German.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Following Wednesday night’s disappointing 3-2 loss to the Angels, the Yankees all stuck around to watch the ending of the Rays-Dodgers game in the hopes of a celebration that never came. It sounds like the team had a ton of fun though, and was a good bonding experience right before the stretch run. Boone, in fact, was prepared to sleep in the clubhouse.
New York Post | Mark Fischer: To replace German on the 40-man roster, the Yankees purchased the contract of and promoted 24-year-old Michael King. It had largely been a lost season for the former Marlins prospect, as he missed most of the season due to elbow discomfort that began in February. He made only four starts, going 3-1 with a 4.18 ERA. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter, but will likely serve as a multi-inning reliever in the closing week of the season.
Yahoo Sports | Ronald Blum (Associated Press): In a rare bit of good injury news for the Yankees this season, reliever Dellin Betances will likely not need surgery to repair a partially-torn Achilles tendon. The free agent-to-be will be in a walking boot for the next four weeks, after which he will be reevaluated. He received the second opinion from Dr. Martin O’Malley, who confirmed Dr. Justin Giesberg’s original diagnosis.