Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/14/23

NY Times | Scott Miller: Aaron Judge still doesn’t have a timeline to return to the Yankees, contrary to some rumors that were floating around before the All-Star break. While there’s hope that he’ll be able to return at some point during the stretch run, considering the injury will require some sort of surgery in the offseason and he’ll essentially have to play through the pain in the meantime, it’s possible that Judge won’t return to the field but slot in as the designated hitter instead.

It’d be a massive hit to part of what makes Judge so valuable to the team, his versatility and skill with the glove and arm on top of the bat, but it’d also complicate how the Yankees rotate Giancarlo Stanton and other veterans through the role. Still, if the choice ends up being Judge at DH or not much Judge at all, it doesn’t seem like the Yankees actually have much of a choice.

North Jersey | Pete Caldera: Now that the 2023 MLB Draft has concluded, the post-analysis of the pool of players that the Yankees selected is rolling out from all corners. Here’s some snippets from the architect of the scouting department for the organization, Damon Oppenheimer, who seemed pleased to get what he could with the second-lowest pool money in the league. The team led off their class with George Lombard in the first round, and selected a number of intriguing prospects including a few guys who have two-way experience as pitchers and batters. In this Shohei Ohtani era of MLB, teams are scrambling to develop the next guy now, so let the arms race begin.

NJ.com | Bridget Hyland: If you were watching the pregame show for the All-Star Game, you might have been intrigued when a former Yankee outright suggested that he’d like to see the team make a major blockbuster. Derek Jeter was asked for a trade he’d want to see go down, and threw out Soto to the Yanks as his pitch should the Padres not get their act together quick enough. From the Captain’s mouth to Cashman’s ears, hopefully.

NY Post | Peter Botte: Sean Casey knows that he’s got to show a turnaround quick in what is his audition stint for the hitting coach position, essentially. The Yankees offense has been stagnant for far too long, and multiple members of the lineup need improvement to arrive ASAP, or else the playoff race could run past the team. It’s always tough to judge just how influential coaches are to major league teams, but Casey’s going to have to make an impression in the win column as well as in the clubhouse.