Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/6/23

New York Post | Joel Sherman: Fans alarmed by the Yankees’ current predicament need look no further than the lack of depth exposed by Aaron Judge’s and Anthony Rizzo’s injuries. Zooming out, Sherman views the situation as symptomatic of the organization’s failure to learn from the mistakes of the last seven-to-ten years. As with any Sherman article, there’s a healthy amount of “old man yells at cloud” energy surrounding his rehashing of old gripes over what he perceives as the Yankees’ over-reliance on analytics (whatever that means), home runs, and right-handed hitters, but interspersed between the tirades he makes legitimate points. Namely, the mantra of “trusting the process” as some unimpeachable concept when in truth the process from the front office down to the hitting room should have been questioned going back years.

NJ Advance Media | Max Goodman: Despite taking two of the first three from the Astros, the Yankees continue to see their playoff odds dwindle, down to 22.1 percent according to FanGraphs and 12.2 percent according to Baseball-Reference. They currently sit 3.5 games back of the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot, with the Mariners also between them and a postseason berth and Boston just half a game behind. Goodman speculates the Yankees will need to hit 90 wins (33-19 record over the final 52 games) to have a shot, not an easy task considering they will have to face the Marlins, Braves, Astros, Rays, Blue Jays, and Red Sox during that stretch.

Sports Illustrated | Brady Farkas: Luis Severino’s horrific season took another wrong turn with another clunker against the Astros, bringing his ERA up to 7.74 and making him the third Yankee to allow at least ten runs in the first inning over consecutive starts. Aaron Boone was asked whether a move to the bullpen was in the cards for Severino and he maintained that all options were on the table. YES Network’s Jack Curry openly speculated about this as well.

CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: Given Severino’s struggles, it was all the more encouraging to see Nestor Cortes’ return from injury yesterday. Making his first start in over two months after being shut down with a strained rotator cuff, Cortes held the Astros to one run on one hit with eight strikeouts in four innings while on a strict pitch limit. His 5.16 ERA through his first 11 starts was one of the most alarming developments of the early season considering the preseason expectation that he would be a cornerstone of the rotation. If he is able to perform to the standard of the last two seasons now that he is healthy, that would be a huge boon for a rotation weakened by Severino’s and Carlos Rodón’s ineffectiveness and Domingo Germán’s absence while seeking treatment for alcohol abuse.

New York Post | Zach Braziller: Teetering on the fringes of the postseason bubble, the Yankees are in the unenvious position of walking a tightrope with Aaron Judge’s health. It’s widely known that he is not fully recovered from the torn toe ligament suffered at the start of June, but any hope of squeaking into the playoffs relies on his being in the lineup more days than not. The Yankees have been cautious, giving their captain extra days off and using him as the DH, an approach they are likely to continue to take down the stretch as they can ill-afford to lose him again.

NJ Advance Media | Max Goodman: With Rizzo heading to the IL with post-concussion syndrome, Jake Bauers’ emergence as one of the few productive bats in the Yankees lineup could not have come at a better time. After Saturday’s game, the 27-year-old lefty is batting .235/.309/.512 with 11 home runs, 24 RBI, and a 122 wRC+ in 59 games. Expect Bauers to deputize at first (his natural position) in Rizzo’s absence before moving back to the outfield when the first baseman returns. Look for more on Bauers from Noah later today on PSA.

The Times-Tribune | Conor Foley: Zach McAllister’s return to the Yankees organization has been a long time coming — 13 years to be exact. The 2006 third-round draft pick made it to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2010 before being traded to Cleveland, for whom he made 277 appearances between 2011 and 2018 — mostly in relief —pitching to a 4.09 ERA in 588.1 innings. He rejoins SWB after departing Arizona’s Triple-A squad, and has reinvented himself in his mid-30s by lowering his arm slot. Welcome back, Zach!