Around the Empire: Yankees news - 7/5/24

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees moved rookie Ben Rice into the leadoff spot for their July 4th matchup with the Reds, demoting Anthony Volpe with the second-year shortstop mired in an awful slump. While Rice only just hit his first homer in the majors, he’s flashed some on-base ability, running a .360 OBP in 15 games. He may get some run at the top of the lineup, particularly against righties, if he can effectively set the table for Judge and Soto.

New York Post | Dan Martin: Ahead of Wednesday's loss to Cincinnati, Aaron Boone wondered if Aaron Judge would receive a sort of Barry Bonds Treatment starting soon. Boone told reporters “There will be stretches where that probably happens.” Of course, the fact that Judge is incredible isn’t news to anyone, and part of the reason he hasn’t been treated like Bonds more often already is that Juan Soto is always on base ahead of him.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Carlos Rodón’s small step forward on Wednesday was a tiny bit of good news amidst a sea of ugly. Rodón altered his pitch mix, going away from his struggling four-seamer, and throwing a whole lot of sliders and changeups. The result was his best outing in a few weeks, though he still left something to be desired, getting outdueled by young lefty Andrew Abbott and yielding a pair of home runs.