The Ringer | Ben Glicksman: Early yesterday morning, WFAN broke the news that legendary Yankees broadcaster John Sterling had passed away at the age of 87. Immediately, broadcasters and journalists throughout the league penned tributes to the beloved man. Saying, “Of all the people I didn’t really know in my life, I knew him the best,” Ben Glicksman of The Ringer reflected on the idiosyncrasies that made Sterling an icon in the broadcasting world, as Sterling remained unapologetically himself throughout his
career.
I could fill out this whole list with tributes and obituaries written by members of the media, so in order to save space, let me just list the others instead of summarizing them: Brendan Kuty (The Athletic), Andrew Marchand (The Athletic), Chris Kirschner (The Athletic), Buster Olney (ESPN), Bryan Hoch (MLB), Mark Feinsand (MLB), Greg Joyce (New York Post), Matt Snyder (CBS Sports). No two were alike, even those written by members of the same publication, a true testament to how Sterling built such a unique relationship with those around him.
FanGraphs | Michael Baumann: The biggest baseball news of the Yankees’ week is, of course, Anthony Volpe’s demotion to Triple-A Scranton. Yesterday, Michael Baumann reflected on the move, noting that while the beleaguered shortstop has not met the sky-high expectations imposed on him when he made his debut on Opening Day three years ago, Volpe has nonetheless been a solid player in his early career (with the exception of the period after his injury last season). Ultimately, Baumann expects him to eventually return to The Show and reclaim the starting shortstop job — after José Caballero comes back to Earth, of course.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: While Jasson Domínguez’s big two-run homer that broke open the game on Sunday and sparked the seven-run eighth inning drew most of the attention, it was his two other hits that game — a sixth-inning double off lefty Grant Wolfram and an eighth-inning double (as the 11th batter in the inning) off Dietrich Enns, another southpaw — that should get the Yankees most excited. After making some adjustments from the right side of the plate, El Marciano has looked much better this season, posting a 1.172 OPS in Scranton against lefty pitching and recording three hits (including the two aforementioned doubles) in his first five plate appearances against them since being recalled when Giancarlo Stanton hit the IL.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Randal Grichuk, designated for assignment last week, signed a Major League deal with the Chicago White Sox yesterday. With former Yankee prospect Everson Pereira, who has been the right fielder on the South Side, on the shelf, the White Sox now turn to Grichuk to fill the bench spot vacated by Austin Hays, who is now likely in a platoon with Jarred Kelenic in right.
