Around the Empire: Yankees news - 4/19/23

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Entering play yesterday, the Angels had a 40-percent chance of making the playoffs per FanGraphs. Should they cross into the true dog days of summer and fall further out of the playoff picture, they might be sitting on the ultimate rental target in Shohei Ohtani, a free agent at the end of the year. While it’s unlikely the Yankees will be able to land Ohtani in free agency, it’s at least plausible they could be bidders should the 2021 AL MVP be available on the trade market in July.

FanGraphs | Leo Morgenstern: Giancarlo Stanton is on the IL once again, with the same nagging hamstring injuries that have plagued him for a number of seasons. Aaron Boone revealed yesterday that they’re not expecting him back for at least six weeks. The story with Stanton has always been whether he can stay on the field or not, as the degenerative nature of repeated soft tissue damage means he’s bound to see some time on the shelf every year.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Carlos Rodón is in the process of returning to the Yankee rotation, but suffered a setback, no pun intended, as his ongoing back issue flared up again yesterday. Boone didn’t seem overly concerned about the “barking” back, but the club did send the left-hander for a round of tests to determine just how severe the problem is.

CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: Your mid-week long read, yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the first Yankee Stadium opening in the Bronx. (We posted this when Dayn first ran this article back in March, but it’s worth discussing again.) Despite 26 championships, perfect games, and record-setting careers, the Stadium was always more than just a ballpark. Between Papal Masses, heavyweight boxing championships and the Beatles, Yankee Stadium became a pop culture icon the type usually reserved for America’s skyscrapers, monuments, and government institutions.

Lastly, there was some talk earlier in the week about Josh Donaldson potentially rejoining the Yankees tonight after just one rehab game in Double-A, but that won’t happen. He’s still going to be held back by hamstring tightness.