The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: ($) Jazz Chisholm Jr. was tossed from Tuesday’s game in Cincinnati for arguing balls and strikes, an ejection about which the third baseman expressed confusion after the game. Chisholm contends that we was talking to himself in frustration about a strikeout in the top half of the inning, not arguing a call, when umpire Mark Wegner engaged him and, ultimately, ran him. “I feel like there’s a problem.” he said to the media. “I feel like it’s getting ridiculous now.” Chisholm also indicated he apologized to Aaron Judge since the Yankee captain implored him to move on from the strikeout and regain his composure before the ejection.
MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: The Yankees and Giants are among those interested in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the Pirates infielder who is likely to be made available at this year’s trade deadline. The former Yankee is slashing .276/.322/.351 while grading out well at shortstop by Defensive Runs Saved (though Outs Above Average, which measures range, has him four outs below average). While IKF’s first tenure in pinstripes was largely disappointing, he would provide depth behind the 36-year-old DJ LeMahieu as well as Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe. Don’t shoot the messenger here, folks.
Awful Announcing | Sam Neumann: Michael Kay expressed an openness to reducing his schedule in an interview in Andrew Marchand’s The Marchand Sports Media podcast. The longtime TV voice of the Yankees indicated cutting down to around 100 games from his current docket of 135-140 would make the job more feasible as he enters his mid-60s and looks to spend more time with his family. Kay also acknowledged the downside of retirement, though. “What do I do if I retire?” he told Marchand. “I don’t have any interests. I read. I don’t play tennis. I don’t play golf. I mean, I would probably be boring as hell.”
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) A primer on the Yankees’ top needs a little over a month out from the trade deadline. Kuty argues the team should prioritize adding a high-powered arm to their bullpen — Yankees relievers are averaging 93 mph on their fastballs, 27th-best in MLB. Acquiring a righty bat, preferably one who can play third base, should be a goal as well with DJ LeMahieu’s bat looking shaky. Based on the options likely to be available, he believes the Yankees should focus elsewhere than adding starting pitching, and cautions against making an incremental upgrade over Oswald Peraza — whose defense plays — off the bench.
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: Will Warren’s arsenal isn’t playing at all as you’d expect. His slider and sinker, both elite by measurements like Stuff+ and the good old-fashioned eye test, have been far less effective by run value than his four-seamer, which at first blush appears pedestrian at best. Clemens susses out that this is due to the right-hander’s low-three-quarters arm slot, which reads to batters as a sinker slot. Instead of the drop they’re expecting, Warren’s “run-of-the-mill” heater jumps above their bat, defying expectations. He also tends to pitch backwards, throwing his slider and sinker in hitters’ counts and saving his four-seamer as an out pitch, an approach which has kept opponents off balance.