Around the Empire: Yankees news - 6/12/21

Newsday | David Lennon: Today’s Yankees starter, Jameson Taillon, lent some insight to the controversy over pitchers using foreign substances on baseballs, as he told reporters that during his second Tommy John surgery rehab, he experimented with Spider Tack. However, he couldn’t get any kind of command with it, so he abandoned the attempt long before he could even use it in games. Taillon also defended his pal, Gerrit Cole, saying that he’s a talented and smart enough pitcher to be good regardless of any possible tampering, though it is worth noting that he didn’t exactly absolve Cole of any allegations, and that Taillon encouraged MLB to “go completely clean” and eliminate said usage league-wide.

New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: Despite the shocking ending, the Yankees had a pretty good series against the Twins, especially on offense. After averaging 2.7 runs per game over the past 10 contests, they scored 22 in just 3. The problem is that it all came against a familiar punching bag, and the club still has to prove that its lineup is truly back on track this weekend against the Phillies — where they’ll also have to make do without the suddenly-scalding Giancarlo Stanton. He won’t be able to DH in Philadelphia and the team refuses to play him in the outfield. Can Stanton stay sharp and maintain his timing? Will Gary Sánchez and Miguel Andújar keep up their own resurgences? We’ll see.

SNY | Andy Martino: As part of a mailbag call, Martino answered the question’s on plenty of Yankees fans’ minds: Will the team make a splash at the trade deadline? The wet blanket answer is unfortunately not at all surprising. The front office is operating under an ownership that posses well, “a very strong disinclination” for exceeding the $210 million luxury tax threshold. So the math probably doesn’t work in the favor of a big move, though other creative solutions are possible. I wouldn’t hold my breath on Hal Steinbrenner changing his course, either. The man is clearly hurting for money.