Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/12/15

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: Michael Pineda has been making strides in his rehab from the forearm strain he suffered in late July, throwing a successful bullpen session on Monday. He should hopefully begin making rehab appearances soon, and ideally, the Yankees will have him back in September.

Vice Sports | Neil DeMause: Major League Baseball added metal detectors to stadium entrances around the game this year, and recently, a few parks like Yankee Stadium offered "Fast Access by CLEAR." However, neither system is really helping security much more than previous efforts.

MLB Daily Dish | Matt Goldman: Former Phillies All-Star second baseman Chase Utley has cleared waivers and a few teams have reportedly expressed interest in him, including the Yankees. Given that even Stephen Drew is having a better year than Utley, it would probably be best for the Yankees to stay away.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: During rough stretches of baseball, it often helps to look back at whether or not the team is really as bad as they seem, so Jennings offers some signs of optimism. Take heart, Yankees fans.

Sporting News | Jesse Spector: Like Jennings, Spector doesn't think that the Yankees (or Dodgers) are showing their true talent levels. No team looks good when they slump, as demonstrated by some of the best offenses in baseball history.