Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/25/22

CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: Zack Britton began a rehab assignment with the Low-A Tampa Tarpons yesterday, less than a calendar year since undergoing Tommy John surgery. He threw 15 pitches and retired both batters he faced. Getting Britton back on such a short timeline would be a surprise, but the veteran wants to return and contribute to the team. Given the injuries that have hit the bullpen, one more arm certainly couldn’t hurt.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: We praised most of the Yankees’ deadline moves here at PSA, but the early returns on Brian Cashman’s maneuvers were quite poor. Andrew Benintendi and Frankie Montas struggled out of the gate, while Jordan Montgomery shoved over in St. Louis. However, the tide appears to shifting, with Montas possibly gaining his footing, and Benintendi coming up with some big hits over the last week.

FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: The aforementioned Montas came up big on Tuesday night, helping the Yankees take both games of the two-game Subway Series at Yankee Stadium. Jaffe notes that Montas, who had bumped up his fastball usage since becoming a Yankee, had curtailed his fastball rates close to his Oakland norms. He used his slider a bit more against the Mets, but also had the cutter working to great effect.

YES Network: Team USA announced its coaching staff for the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic, and it includes former Yankee Andy Pettitte as pitching coach. Other notable names dot the staff, including Ken Griffey Jr. as hitting coach, Jerry Manuel as bench coach, and ‘80s All-Star closer Dave Righetti as bullpen coach. Pettitte’s the biggest name for Yankees fans, but Righetti is also a well-respected figure, having won three World Series rings as the Giants’ longtime pitching coach until 2017.

ESPN’s Marly Rivera also tweeted out video of Giancarlo Stanton going through his pregame routine. The Yankees haven’t made it official as of time of writing, but they are expected to activate Stanton today ahead of the start of their series in Oakland.

And, in case you missed, the Yankees 2023 schedule was announced. They’ll open the season at home against the San Francisco Giants. You can check out Peter’s breakdown of the slate here.