Around the Empire: Yankees News - 3/20/15

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Jacoby Ellsbury has said that his mild oblique strain will keep him off the field for the next week, but he'll definitely be back in time for Opening Day.

Fangraphs | Owen Watson: The Yankees backend of the bullpen–Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, David Carpenter–is projected to be so good that only the Royals have a higher projected WAR and projected average velocity.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: Players and coaches, both Yankees and opponents alike, reflected on Masahiro Tanaka's start. A.J. Pierzynski thought the ball looked fine out of his hand, and Tanaka thought the start was just as good as his first. Fredi Gonzalez expressed some concerns; even though he looked good, he thought it was only a matter of time before he had to get surgery.

New York Daily News | Bill Madden: Hal Steinbrenner made it very clear: the Yankees need to win this year. If they don't, then he believes that everyone is to blame, including himself. A big key, according to him at least, is unlocking the potential of the older players like Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran, and the pitchers obviously need to remain healthy. A lot of problems have been caused by the lack of success in the player development department, but Hal believes that has been remedied with the introduction of Gary Denbo.

New York Times | David Waldstein: The Yankees have committed to better dieting with the hiring of nutritionist Cynthia Sass to build the perfect diet for their players. While the Yankees used to offer plenty of junk food, the chef now presents kale, avocados, grilled salmon, and sweet potatoes instead of fried chicken and pizza. Who knows how much it will help them, but it certainly can't hurt to eat healthy.

NBC Sports | Craig Calcaterra: Yankees minor league pitcher Moises Cedeno has been suspended for 72 games without pay for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for taking a performance-enhancing substance.