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

SNY | Scott Thompson: Perhaps the single biggest disappointment of this season has been the play of Gleyber Torres, he of the 82 wRC+ and -5 OAA at shortstop. With three more years of team control, but a bevy of All Star level shortstops available in free agency, the Yankees have to seriously weigh how much they value Torres at the key infield position, and what the best path for the org is going forward at shortstop.

FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: It’s been just about the worst month of Aroldis Chapman’s career, starting with that seven-pitch debacle in Minnesota and continuing through last weekend against the Mets. Blowing games when the team is 10 back in the division can put a dagger in the heart of any postseason run, and while his decline coincides with crackdowns on banned substances, Jaffe makes the case that mechanical problems are driving more of Chapman’s issue than a loss of sticky stuff.

New York Daily News | Matthew Roberson: Outside of Aroldis Chapman, the bullpen has been a real strength of this team, with Jonathan Loaisiga emerging as one of the best relief arms in baseball, while Chad Green and Nestor Cortes Jr. were the heroes of Sunday night’s win over the Mets. Perhaps this opens a lane for the Yankees to be more creative in how they manage bullpen work, at least until Chapman figures some things out.

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: It’s halfway through the season, which means we have enough of a sample to adjust our expectations for clubs around the American League. Bad news for the Yankees, the ZiPS projection system pegs them for a 90-win rest-of-season pace, with real adjustments made to both the pitching and hitting side of the club. The Yankees will need to outplay that projection to dig out of this hole.

Lastly, this was covered on the site just before the Yankees/Mariners game last night, but Darren O’Day is hitting the injured list with a hamstring strain. The team recalled Nick Nelson to take his spot on the roster.