Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/23/22

ESPN | Joon Lee: The Yankees’ plan is to activate first-half All-Star Giancarlo Stanton from the injured list on Thursday in Oakland. There is a catch, though: the slugger admitted that he isn’t 100 percent over his Achilles injury, saying that there is still some minor discomfort and that it’s a day-to-day thing. The team expects to return him to the outfield at some point in September, but he’ll start off on DH duty.

“The mornings are my best gauge; some days are more sore than others,” Stanton said. “It’s a work in progress. I expect that to diminish as I build up.” The slugger will face Luis Severino in a live batting practice session today at Yankee Stadium and after playing two hitless games on a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset.

Yankees PR: Scott Effross (3.24 ERA in 8.1 frames), one of the Yankees’ deadline acquisitions, was placed on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. It’s another tough loss for an already-weakened bullpen. To replace Effross, the Bombers recalled Clarke Schmidt from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He returns to a 2.40 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 30 innings, with 29 strikeouts (before Monday’s action).

For more info on the Effross-for-Schmidt move, read Andrew’s post from yesterday on PSA.

NJ Advance Media | Brendan Kuty: In a conversation with the media on Monday, before the game against the Mets, Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman confirmed the reasons why the organization hasn’t called up Oswald Peraza yet. “There hasn’t been a lane yet for, ‘Hey, this opportunity has opened and does he fit this category,” he said. “The answer hasn’t been a yes for that yet.”

Peraza has hit .287 with 14 home runs, 34 RBI and a .847 OPS since May 20 and looks like he’s ready to take over at shortstop. The team, however, still seemingly likes what Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.629 OPS) brings to the table.

Cashman implied that defensive versatility earned Oswaldo Cabrera his call-up. “We just looked at who’s the best guy to call right now for the role, and so Cabrera — Peraza’s played shortstop mostly the entire time,” Cashman stated. “Cabrera has bounced a lot to different positions, including more recently the outfield that last week before his call-up.”

CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: The Yankees caught a little break on Monday, when it was revealed that Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom was pushed back for Wednesday. Taijuan Walker will now start against the Yanks on Tuesday.

The Yankees effectively avoided facing deGrom, the best pitcher in the world when healthy, and his 2.31 ERA and 1/37 BB/K ratio in 23.1 frames in the series. He is not hurt, fortunately, as manager Buck Showalter said that he just wanted to break up deGrom and Max Scherzer in the rotation.

NJ Advance Media | Bridget Hyland: The Yankees signed 30-year-old left-hander D.J. Snelten to a minor league contract. He last pitched in the majors with the San Francisco Giants in 2018, and left a 10.38 ERA in 4.1 innings.

Snelten played independent league ball in 2019 and signed to play in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system, but never played there because of an elbow injury. He is healthy now, and the Yanks will give him a shot in Triple-A. He has a 3.31 ERA in 410.1 frames in minor league ball over the course of his career.