CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: The Yankees face an uphill battle if they want to contest the AL East crown at this point, and they made it worse on themselves by losing badly to Detroit for the second straight night. Sure, Toronto (and Boston) lost to prevent them from falling behind even further, but that also means that it was an opportunity to gain ground that was wasted, and they’re running out of time to get those. For the remainder of the year, there needs to be some marked improvement to close the gap,
including sitting the slumping Anthony Volpe and getting more consistency from the middle of their beleaguered bullpen. Salvaging what they can from the remainder of this week and then pummeling the soft part of their schedule in the end seems like the only way forward at this point, and then hoping that it’s enough to get the job done with some outside help.
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: Speaking of Volpe, Aaron Boone went to his bench on Wednesday to start José Caballero over the former top prospect. Though it didn’t lead to much of a difference in the overall game as they got blown out once more, it indicated a shift in the manager’s steadfast defense of Volpe’s starting spot as he acknowledged the 24-year-old’s struggles over the past month in particular. He didn’t budge on naming Volpe the starter still, but added that the team has to make some tough decisions this late in the year and that they’re in “day-to-day mode” with the position.
MLB.com | Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra: The minor leagues might be nearing the end of their season, but there’s still plenty of opportunities to see top prospects in action. The Arizona Fall League rosters were announced yesterday, and the Yankees are sending a contingent of eight prospects to the Mesa Solar Sox roster this year. Headlining the pack is the team’s No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline’s rankings, Bryce Cunningham, and No. 19 prospect Cade Smith will also be in attendance.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams and Darragh McDonald: Finally, if you missed the news yesterday, Anthony Rizzo officially announced his retirement on Wednesday. The longtime Chicago Cub will retire in their uniform with a ceremony on Saturday, but Rizzo fit right in as a Yankee during his time with the organization from 2021-24. Acquired mid-season in 2021, he was excellent out of the gate as a Bomber earning a two-year deal in the offseason with an option year tacked on. Injuries, namely an undiagnosed concussion that robbed him of his ability at the plate for a long stretch of the 2023 season, caused him to regress, but he was a fan favorite during his time in pinstripes and a fixture in the clubhouse as he befriended the captain Aaron Judge. Our best wishes in retirement, Anthony!
