Around the Empire: Yankees news - 4/29/23

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Aaron Judge was pulled in the fourth inning of Thursday’s matchup with a right hip problem, before disclosing that he would miss at least a couple of games this weekend. Perhaps more importantly, the reigning MVP had an MRI done yesterday, the results still unavailable as of last night’s postgame, and breakout Scranton standout Jake Bauers was added to the Yankees’ taxi squad in the event Judge misses more time.

Yankees PR: As a postscript, Bauers may end up joining the Yankees’ active roster tomorrow anyway, as Franchy Cordero was officially demoted after another rough game on Friday. He was in a 1-for-28 slump with a single, no walks, 13 strikeouts, and an unfortunate number of misplays in right field (including last night).

SNY | Danny Abriano, Alex Smith, and Phillip Martinez: Judge’s semi-update is at the top of this doc, but also of note on the injury front is that standout reliever Jonathan Loáisiga will undergo testing on his right elbow. Per manager Aaron Boone, he felt soreness during his rehab from elbow inflammation and has been shut down while they see what’s going on. If you’re looking for optimism, both Luis Severino and Carlos Rodón threw bullpen sessions as planned. Given Clarke Schmidt’s continued struggles, they could use reinforcements as soon as possible.

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: In recording his first save of the season Thursday night, Michael King looked as good as we’ve seen him all month. The Yankee reliever was arguably the best in the game before his 2022 season ended with an elbow injury, and after a spotty first week appears back in full form. Some on-the-fly mechanical tweaks have restored velocity to his four-seam fastball, and King appears poised to be The Guy in the bullpen once again.

FanGraphs | Chris Gilligan: The sweeper is sweeping the baseball world, as the slower, more lateral variation on a slider has become THE pitch most discussed around the game in 2023. The Yankees have shown a propensity to throw sweepers, but two of their lineup stalwarts are also among the best in the game at hitting them. Unfortunately, those two are Giancarlo Stanton and the above-mentioned Aaron Judge, who are not technically in the lineup at this time.

Sports Illustrated | Dan Gartland: There’s a lot of tension around the Yankee universe this week so let’s end with something fun. Gleyber Torres is heating back up again, taking Andrew Heaney deep to center in Thursday’s contest. Immediately beforehand, a Yankee fan pledged to get a bowl cut if Torres went deep, and the second baseman called him out on his promise online after the game. There’s no word yet if the fan followed through, but at least the Yankees seem to have their eyes on him.