Around the Empire: Yankees news - 9/27/23

CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: Not needing to cut your body open to fix something is always better than the alternative! As the season has progressed, it’s been clear that Judge has too. Despite his torn ligament, he has continued to produce offensively, suggesting he is in a good spot physically. If all goes according to plan, he’ll come back in the spring not recovering from surgery, and instead just getting his body back to full strength. The captain’s sustained health is imperative to the team’s success next season and beyond.

Bruce Bolt | Ken Davidoff: This one comes from a few days back, but it’s an interesting interview with one of the Yankees’ top prospects, Spencer Jones. Jones has a good personality to him, and looks like he’ll be a good quote in the future. From working to wrap his degree up at Vanderbilt, to dreaming of the day he gets his call to the big leagues, this interview gives Yankees universe a nice of Jones’ story as an amateur, and his hopes for the future.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Rookie catcher Austin Wells had a difficult first couple weeks at the plate in The Show, but his bat is beginning to flash what caught the Yankees’ eyes in the 2020 MLB Draft. After winning last night’s showdown in Toronto with a homer in the ninth, he’s now gone deep in three of his past five games, and he talked with Phillips about the adjustments he’s made to the high caliber of big league pitching.

Sports Illustrated | Dan Gartland: There are many fall games in Yankees’ history with a charm about them. Sometimes the cold, gloomy weather can feel exciting, as the team is often getting ready to face that chill in the playoffs. But on Monday afternoon as the Yankees had their first game as a mathematically eliminated team playing the NL Wild Card hunting Diamondbacks, fans did not show out in the awful weather. Technically, the team announced 41,096 as the paid attendance (ticket-sales only of course), but to put it clearly, this looked like an early season midweek day game in Cincinnati before the hype of Elly De La Cruz.

The Athletic | Dan Connolly: The game has lost a legend. Brooks Robinson is one of the best players to ever dawn the hot corner, and is deserving of endless love and appreciation. As a ‘90s kid, I never had the privilege to see Robinson play other than what we can get from YouTube, but Robinson’s statistics and longevity are legendary. He played at least 144 games in even season from 1960 through 1975. His defense pretty much never declined and played the game from age 18 until age 40. This is the type of player that this generation of the game will never see again. Rest in peace to a legend.

Last we checked, The Athletic piece is unlocked for all to read for free. Joe Posnanski and ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian also wrote terrific articles in memory of Robinson that are worth a look.