Around the Empire: Yankees news: 2/23/23

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty: With the return of spring training, beat writers have new and exciting things to write about. Kirschner and Kuty, the duo covering the Bronx Bombers for The Athletic, lead off with a new challenge facing uber-prospect Anthony Volpe ... learning to play new positions this spring, namely second and third base.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: Two Yankees underwent surgery on Wednesday. Right hander Frankie Montas was widely expected to need surgery, but catcher Ben Rortvedt was a surprise. Montas is expected to be shut down for 12 weeks, meaning a 2023 return is a possibility. Rortvedt is expected to have a quicker recovery time, but he is still expected to miss at least the next month.

NBC Sports | Tristi Rodriguez: After new Yankee Carlos Rodón ruffled some feathers in the Bay Area by comparing San Francisco Giants fans with Yankees fans, longtime Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow came to his defense. Getting Biblical, Krukow opined that the “East Coast loves their teams like they love their God.” Alright. That’s definitely one way to get the point across that East Coast fans might be a bit, uh ... passionate.

New York Post | Andrew Marchand: While nothing is solidified in stone yet, the heir apparent to longtime radio broadcaster John Sterling may be right in front of our ears. Justin Shackil, who has done work for YES and Yankee Stadium, pinch-hit for Sterling a couple times last year, and hosts a podcast with David Cone and YES researcher James Smythe, is expected to be offered a position as Sterling’s permanent play-by-play backup, with the expectation of calling approximately 25 games this season, and getting a leg up on the competition when it comes time to replace the legendary Sterling.