Around the Empire: Yankees news - 9/25/23

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: The Yankees are playing out the string, and these final games lack some intrigue as their playoff odds hit zero. There’s still reason to watch, though, and Sblendorio highlights the top things to look out for as the Yankee season comes to a close. Top of mind is Gerrit Cole’s last chance to burnish his Cy Young case, as well as the Yankees’ winning seasons streak. Perhaps most important is the matter of the team’s 2024 pitching staff: Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, and even Luke Weaver will all be looking to end the year on a high note to best position themselves for a role with the 2024 team.

FanGraphs | David Laurila: Laurila’s Sunday notes columns are always full of interesting tidbits, and this one includes some discussion with Ian Hamilton regarding his “slambio.” Hamilton explains that he uses a circle-change grip, but that the pitch moves in unique ways. “It’s low spin, almost gyro-y, and according to my catchers it sometimes moves erratically, almost like a knuckleball. If it backs up, it kind of shakes a little bit. It’s unique, I guess,” Hamilton said.

New York Post | Dan Martin: Aaron Boone indicated over the weekend that Aaron Judge would be in the Yankee lineup as long as the team was mathematically in the hunt for a playoff spot. But now that that’s no longer the case, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the superstar ease off the gas. With the Yankees eliminated, Judge’s health will be a higher priority than, say, padding his home run total. It does seem as though shutting him down even earlier may have been prudent, as the Yankees have been on the very fringes of contention for weeks now, but Judge has at least proven that he can still rake even if he’s not 100 percent. (In non-shocking news, Judge said that he wants to keep playing.)

NJ.com | Max Goodman: Jose Trevino stopped by the Yankee clubhouse this weekend and provided an update on his recovery from wrist surgery. “I feel really good where I’m at,” Trevino said. “In a couple of weeks, I’ll be hitting … I’m excited for spring.” Trevino went under the knife to fix a torn right wrist two months ago.