Around the Empire: Yankees news - 5/16/23

Yankees Magazine (via MLB.com) | Alfred Santasiere III: In this month’s edition of Yankees Magazine, we get a look into Anthony Volpe’s journey from childhood Yankees fan to top prospect to Opening Day starter. Volpe reflects on his time in the minor leagues, where the transformation of his hit and run tools vaulted him to top-10 prospect status around baseball. We also get some fascinating quotes from Aaron Boone as well as a handful of Volpe’s teammates that reveal elements of his character and maturity.

MLB.com | Mike Lupica: We’re seven games into the season series between the Yankees and Rays, and the rivalry has produced some of the most exciting baseball anywhere around the league through the first quarter of the campaign. Six of the seven contests have been decided by one run, with fans being treated to grand slams and comeback victories. It’s a reflection of the drama that tends to characterize the showdowns between the two clubs over the last half-decade-plus.

New York Post | Ethan Sears: Oswald Peraza could be close to a return to the Bronx. Aaron Boone relayed that his rehab assignment has gone well, with Peraza hitting a home run in his first rehab game with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees shortstop prospect has been out since spraining his ankle on May 3rd and is eligible to come off the 10-day IL. It’s possible the Yankees could call him up in the coming days — a decision which would require a corresponding roster move — or could opt to keep him at Triple-A if they feel he would benefit from more consistent playing time.

Yahoo! Sports | Colin Martin: Anthony Rizzo has been the hottest hitter in baseball over the last week, leading the league in hits and runs scored. Over that span, he’s slashing .444/.500/.815 with three home runs and seven RBI, good enough to earn AL Player of the Week honors. On the year, the 33 year old first baseman is hitting .312/.395/.526 with nine home runs, 22 RBI, and a 158 wRC+.

NJ Advance Media | Brian Fonseca: Former Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton made his long-awaited return to an MLB mound on Friday for the Red Sox. It had been 766 days since the last pitch he threw in the majors, having missed most of 2021 and all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He gave up two runs on four hits against nine strikeouts and dialed the fastball up to 98 mph as the Red Sox eventually fell to the Cardinals at Fenway, 8-6.