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NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Aaorn Judge returned to the Yankees’ intrasquad games on Wednesday, and he wasted little time. Judge took James Paxton deep to center field early, and then Giancarlo Stanton hooked one into the left field seats off Paxton later. The Yankees have only seen those two homer in the same game three times, but the team is 3-0 in those contests. The good news is that after some injury woes, both players are healthy and ready to bash baseballs again.
New York Post | George A. King III: Unsurprisingly, most Yankees pitchers don’t like the new extra innings rule, which puts a runner on second base to start each half-inning. Adam Ottavino bristled when asked about it, calling it “not real baseball.” Chad Green and Jordan Montgomery also voiced their displeasure with the rule, with Montgomery calling it “horrible.” If MLB players continue to publicly bash the rule, perhaps it won’t last past the season, much like the NFL’s short-lived permission to challenge pass interference calls, which received similar scorn from players and coaches.
ESPN | Alden Gonzalez: This story is absolutely worth checking out if you love Gleyber Torres — and who doesn’t? Gonzalez profiles Torres here and covers all the bases; from his beginnings in Venezuela, to how the Cubs and Yankees discovered him, to his desire to become a US citizen and more. The big takeaway? Torres has a real chance to become the next MLB superstar, and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to get there.
NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Reporters noticed a strange sight on the Yankee Stadium field on Wednesday afternoon: third baseman Gio Urshela taking ground balls at... second base? Although Aaron Boone downplayed it, saying the club was just trying things out and making sure they was as prepared as possible, an infield with Miguel Andujar at third base and Urshela at second could be intriguing, at least offensively. Urshela has played five minor league games and five major league games at second, so he’s not a complete neophyte there. A lot would likely have to go wrong for Urshela to end up at second in a Yankees game, but stranger things have happened before.