Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/25/21

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Gary Sánchez left Friday night’s game with back spasms, and Rob Brantly replaced him the starting lineup yesterday as well, but the Yankees remained hopeful that Sánchez wouldn’t have to hit the injured list. Aaron Boone said that Sánchez was still pretty locked up Saturday morning, but that he was hopeful the catcher could return with perhaps just one more day of rest.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Boone dished on a variety of topics ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t gotten into a game in the outfield this series as was expected, but Boone indicated he was “leaning” toward putting Stanton on the grass this afternoon. Boone also said Luis Severino looked good in throwing 38 pitches during a simulated game at Fenway Park. The team will soon decide whether they want to see Severino in another simulated situation, or to start the right-hander on a rehab assignment in the minors.

CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: With the Nationals fading far out of the playoff race, Jon Heyman reports that Washington is discussing trades for ace Max Scherzer. This will surely be music to the ears of many Yankee fans, as the prospect of the team trading for a second horse to run alongside Gerrit Cole, propelling the Bombers to the playoffs down the stretch, is tantalizing. Time will tell whether it’s a pipe dream, or something that could become reality.

MLB.com | Michael Clair: Clair profiles Christy Walsh, baseball’s first agent, and the mythmaker who helped turn Babe Ruth into a legend. Walsh ran a ghostwriting syndicate, which employed some of the nation’s top sportswriters to write as the nation’s top ballplayers. Clair tapped into the same dynamic that has us following all our favorite athletes on Twitter and Instagram today, letting baseball fans get closer to the likes of Ruth, while growing Ruth’s mythos, and bank account, in the process.