Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/28/22

Sports Illustrated | Max Goodman: The last thing this team needs is more injuries, and we got a scare Friday night in Oakland after Jose Trevino was removed from the game after getting hit by a pitch on his right foot. However, manager Aaron Boone revealed that x-rays on the foot were negative, and there are no further tests scheduled for Trevino. As there are no catchers on the taxi squad with the team in Oakland, Isiah Kiner-Falefa would apparently be the backup to Kyle Higashioka if Trevino can’t play. So let’s avoid that.

NJ Advance Media | Randy Miller: The chatter about the Jordan Montgomery trade just isn’t going away. Monty has been dominant since switching teams, and Harrison Bader still being an unknown quantity doesn’t help matters. The team continues to defend the trade, of course. Boone concedes that Monty was “beloved” on the team and that the trade came about pretty quickly on deadline day. He also hopes Bader will be a regular for the Yankees for the next few years. Still, we have hopes while the Cardinals have a pitcher with a sub-1.00 ERA so far. Not exactly an even trade.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: (Subscription required) The recent bad vibes around this team have lessened after this winning streak against the Mets and A’s. The offense is scoring runs again, particularly with Aaron Judge starting to heat back up. Still, major questions remain. Notably, there’s the issue of the bullpen and who can close. Aroldis Chapman looked like he was back, then went back to throwing clunkers. It’s been a closer by committee situation since Clay Holmes hit the IL, and there’s no guarantee that’ll change once he returns if he continues to struggle. No one comfortably seizing that role with plenty of opportunities is making the end of the games tenser than they should be.

New York Post | Dan Martin: After a sluggish start to his MLB career with the bat — hardly surprising — Oswaldo Cabrera is heating up for the Yankees. Friday night’s game was his second straight three-hit affair, adding to the value he’s shown at defense playing four different positions. Also uniquely for a rookie, he hasn’t been striking out. The infield and outfield depth he’s provided has been key with Giancarlo Stanton limited to DH, Aaron Hicks being basically on a raft out at sea, and DJ LeMahieu still dealing with a toe injury. Boone is impressed by how relaxed he plays for someone so young, and considering the state of the team, he needs to keep getting all the at-bats he can.