Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/13/24

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The end of Friday night’s 4-1 Yankees win in Baltimore turned heated when closer Clay Holmes hit Heston Kjerstad in the head with a pitch. Kjerstad had to leave and will go through concussion protocol, and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde started yelling at the Yankees’ dugout, prompting the benches and bullpens to empty. Considering that it was 0-2 pitch in the rain, and Holmes’ command has been spotty anyway during his recent slide (which he’s eager to end), it’s highly unlikely that it was intentional, and he said as much in the postgame. But in the moment, Hyde appeared uninterested in Holmes’ concern about hitting Kjerstad, and the O’s skipper later said that he started to get mad because he heard chirping from the Yankees’ dugout.

For their part, the Yankees seem ready to move past this and get back to the more important play on the field during this pivotal first-half finale series. Their comments to Phillips and others indicated an understanding of Hyde’s reaction.

CBS Sports: The Yankees’ bigger concern in the ninth inning on Friday centered on Jose Trevino. He’d posted a rare good night at the plate with a pair of doubles, but he apparently tweaked his quad while scoring an insurance run. He’ll undergo testing today, so look for Austin Wells to catch the final couple games of this series. Ben Rice has the flexibility to serve as a backup to Wells, though if a roster move is needed, Carlos Narváez and Agustin Ramirez are waiting in the wings.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): It’s no secret that the Yankees could use several reinforcements ahead of the trade deadline. They badly need capable infielders, they could use a couple of relievers, perhaps a starter, and maybe would consider an outfielder in the right situation.

Kirschner listed 10 trade candidates with the potential to help the Bombers. There are some really interesting names, such as Jonathan India and Nate Eovaldi, plus a couple of top bullpen pieces such as Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. We don’t want to give too much away, but getting two or three players from that list would be ideal.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: As you probably have seen, the Yankees decided to give infielder Jorbit Vivas a try and called him up on Friday. Given the state of New York’s infield, the promotion was long overdue. Vivas has, at the very least, more upside than some of the players getting playing time in MLB at the moment. According to the Daily News, Vivas saw his promotion as just another step towards the real goal: establishing himself as a quality, long-term major leaguer.

“There was very little reaction,” per Triple-A hitting coach Trevor Amicone. “It was very business-like. Like the goal was never just to get to the big leagues. It’s to be really good there for him. So there was excitement, but very business-like, matter-of-fact, all right, let’s get to work.”

Vivas has a strong .258/.404/.424 line and a 122 wRC+ in 169 plate appearances in Triple-A, with a 163 wRC+ since June 12th. He can play multiple positions, so if he can hit (and the Yankees play him), he will stick around.

SNY | Ben Krimmel: Juan Soto has been nursing a hand injury in the last few days. Even though he said he wouldn’t participate in the Home Run Derby, he will be a go for Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Texas. Soto has participated in three previous All-Star Games, but he has never started.

“Yeah, why not? It’s a great experience,” he said per SNY, but he did add that he will be careful.