Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/20/23

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty: You can’t blame Estevan Florial for feeling some type of way. As the Yankees carousel continues to run through every Triple-A outfielder option, Florial has yet to get his name called. Florial continues to hit very well, but his in-zone contact rates remain a concern and will continue to hold him back. The 25-year-old is also out of minor league options, meaning the Yankees would likely lose him if they called up him and sent him back down.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Still sidelined but with the team in Anaheim, Aaron Judge was asked about Shohei Ohtani’s spectacular exploits. Judge said that he’d be happy to see Ohtani, who has 35 homers on the season, take a run at his AL record 62 dingers from last season. “Records are meant to be broken. It’s just a record. It’ll be exciting for the game if he went out there and got 63-plus,” Judge said before the Yankees got swept out of California.

The Athletic | Ken Rosenthal: Rosenthal reports that the Yankees may prioritize staying under the fourth and final luxury tax threshold. It is not so shocking to see the Yankees’ desire to stay under the so-called “Steve Cohen tax.” However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the team will sell. We’ve seen in previous deadlines how Brian Cashman makes additions whilst being conscious of the luxury tax. Expect more of the same this year.

FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: In FanGraphs’ yearly installment of ranking leaguewide trade values, Anthony Volpe clocked in at 27th overall due to the combination of his prospect pedigree, signs of more to come, and years of team control. Volpe appeared just ahead of another rookie shortstop, Matt McClain, and right behind the Mariners pitcher George Kirby.

ESPN: And just a bit of bad news to round things out, Harrison Bader departed last night’s loss in Anaheim with bruised ribs. Bader was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning and went to first, but was later replaced in the field. The center fielder’s bat has cooled off quite a bit lately, but he is a more than competent player thanks to elite defense and baserunning. The last thing the Yankees need is one of their actual major league caliber hitters hitting the shelf.