Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/11/20

New York Post | George A. King III: DJ LeMahieu is currently out of action, quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19 in the intake tests. It’s unclear exactly how much time he’ll miss - he’s required to quarantine for two weeks, then test negative twice, THEN he has to get himself back into game shape. With Re-Opening Day less than two weeks away, there’s a chance he misses the season opener, giving a chance for one of the Yankees’ more exciting bench players, Tyler Wade, to fill that gap.

New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: Aaron Judge has stepped into the shoes of Unofficial Yankee Captain, and like certain unnamed captains before him, makes absolutely no interesting or bold comments to the media. Manager Aaron Boone, after reports the Yankees have encouraged their star outfielder to keep quiet about racial injustice and police brutality, clarified that every member of the team is allowed and in fact welcomed to speak up. Members of the team, on average, have certainly seemed to be quieter than most clubs, and the team itself was roundly criticized for its initial response to the George Floyd killing.

WFAN | Sweeny Murti: The shortened 2020 season means each game is about 2.5 times as important as “normal” years, but don’t expect Aaron Boone to panic after a bad series. The Yankee skipper preached the value of patience and perspective, even in a year where a bad week will hurt a team more than usual.

FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: Tommy Kahnle is a fan favorite - see my signature for more details - but he’s also one of the best relievers the Yankees have. A key ingredient to his success is his usage of the changeup against same-handed batters, something conventional baseball wisdom warns against. Like so many other examples, the depth and breadth of analytics at Yankee disposal pokes holes in the theories of conventional baseball wisdom, and Kanhle’s changeup, and approach with it, is here to stay.