Around the Empire: Yankees news - 6/23/21

Yankees (via Twitter): Not only did the Yankees welcome back Luke Voit last night — he hit a homer in his yfirst at-bat back from his oblique injury, by the way — but they also sent relievers Justin Wilson and Darren O’Day to rehab assignments with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The former is recovering from a strained right hamstring, while the latter has been dealing with a shoulder strain.

SNY | Scott Thompson: Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman hasn’t been the same since his meltdown against the Minnesota Twins on June 10th. Over his last seven games, he has an 8.44 ERA in 5.1 innings, with 10 hits allowed and a 2.44 WHIP. However, manager Aaron Boone is not worried about his struggles and noted that he has been dealing with a nail issue. The Yankees’ pen has been one of, if not the best in the business, but they need their closer to get back to his normally dominant self soon.

NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: A couple of American League Central contenders, namely Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox, are reportedly interested in trading for Pirates infielder and potential Yankees target Adam Frazier. The Pittsburgh Tribune-review reported that “the general belief around Pittsburgh is that it is not a matter of “if” but “when” Adam Frazier is traded. ... Frazier could yield a nice return of future prospects.” Frazier would make plenty of sense in the Bronx, and he is hitting .322 with 23 doubles before Tuesday’s games.

NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: The Athletic’s Jim Bowden broke down potential trade deadline candidates and identified that the Yankees and Red Sox could be interested in the same names: Ketel Marte and Starling Marte. “[Ketel] Marte is the Diamondbacks’ best player, but if he can be pried away, the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Braves, Nationals, [Cleveland], Giants and Cardinals are the best trade fits,” he said about the former, while acknowledging that Starling could be a “difference-maker” for either the Sox or the Yanks.