Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/14/21

Newsday | David Lennon: Aaron Judge was asked about the Astros ripping Jose Altuve’s jersey off after Sunday’s brutal walkoff in Houston, and Judge had nothing but approval for his rival’s antics. He said, “That’s fun. He just hit a walk-off homer to win the game. That’s big-time. You do whatever you want out there... it’s all part of the game, you know?” This is a refreshing take from Judge, in a sport where historically the standard response to gloating is a fastball up and in.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: Commissioner Rob Manfred delivered news that should please some fans: pandemic-inspired rules like seven-inning doubleheaders and the extra-inning runner rule look to be on their way out. Manfred said those measures were unlikely to stick beyond 2022, and also expressed his desire to regulate infield shifts in some way.

CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: In case you missed it here, the Yankees made a series of minor league shuffles yesterday, highlighted by the promotion of Jasson Dominguez to Low-A Tampa. This represents the true test for Dominguez, who managed a .607 OPS in rookie ball. Now, the prized prospect will have to deal with the higher level of competition that comes with full-season leagues, and we’re all on the edge of our seat to see how he fares. The Yankees also bumped Glenn Otto up to Triple-A, after he dominated with Somerset to the tune of a 14.2 K/9 rate.

New York Post | David Lazar: Trey Sweeney, the Yankees’ first-round pick, spoke the media via a conference call yesterday. The 21-year-old acknowledged that some public draft boards had him ranked a fair bit lower than his 20th overall selection would suggest, noting that the Yankees thought higher of him than those analysts and that he was eager to prove the team right. He also spoke on his defensive position, expressing confidence in his ability to play shortstop in the face of scouts that see him as likely to move elsewhere in the infield.

Yahoo Sports | Colin Martin: Yankees brass will reportedly be in attendance when free agent lefty Cole Hamels gives a showcase later this week. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything major, as teams often send officials to workouts for these kinds of players. Hamels had success with the Cubs as recently as 2019, but has thrown just 3 innings in the intervening 22 months.