MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: In the midst of Austin Wells’ struggle to hit a baseball, Ben Rice started two of the three games in this week’s Twins series. While it’s too convenient to say they were the two games the Yankees won, the club does seem more confident in the 26-year-old putting on the tools of ignorance. While his arm needs work — ranking 79th out of 90 catchers by Statcast — he’s received praise for his top-quintile framing and his game calling ability. That he’s paired all that with a 120 wRC+ is a boon to the organization.
New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Of course as soon as we praise Rice for his catching, he may find himself back at first base for the near future. Veteran Paul Goldschmidt revealed he’s dealing with a right knee sprain, which kept him from pinch-hitting on Wednesday night. When he spoke with the media, Goldy himself said that he doesn’t expect a long-term complication, but at his age and with his bat cooling off, it might be in the club’s best interest to give him a quick IL stint to come back 100 percent.
Of note from Triple-A: old friend Andrew Velazquez just re-signed with the RailRiders after being released on August 3rd, so perhaps that’s a sign that someone else (Jorbit Vivas?) is coming up to take Goldschmidt’s spot.
NJ.com | Max Goodman ($): Jasson Domínguez suddenly finds himself the odd man out. With Giancarlo Stanton only able to play right field, Aaron Judge at DH, and the need to keep Cody Bellinger in the lineup every day, the 22-year-old former top prospect seems to be the one ceding the most time to Trent Grisham. Grisham has a 114 wRC+ since the All Star break, while the Martian has stumbled to a 48, along with defensive questions. We’ve seen glimpses of Jasson’s talent, but he’s far from a finished product when the Yankees need every win they can get.
New York Post | Jon Heyman ($): The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees have drawn ire for the past few seasons because of their payroll size. Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and others command some of the largest contracts the game has ever seen, yet all three teams have hit a wall in August. This isn’t exactly 2008, with a Rays team sneaking up the middle past the big spenders, but it goes to show that payroll alone doesn’t guarantee you a favorable position come October.
Lastly, as the Yankees announced in the tweet above, two of their pitchers are now on the rehab trail with Triple-A Scranton. Yarbrough was great as a swingman before tweaking his oblique in June, and the relief weapon Cruz did the same. Cruz will likely need three appearances before being ready, and he made his (shaky) first last night. Yarbrough got the start for Scranton, and Aaron Boone said that he’ll build up to 50 pitches before his activation.