Wells now a narrow favorite for AL Rookie of the Year; LeMahieu could miss rest of season with hip impingement; Verdugo welcomes Dominguez’s promotion to boost championship odds
NY Post | Dylan Svoboda: Austin Wells has established himself in the second half, becoming one of the best defensive backstops in baseball while producing at the plate earning himself a spot in the cleanup role regularly. His play hasn’t just taken over the majority of the starting role at catcher, but given him the lead position for the AL Rookie of the Year race heading into the final weeks, surpassing names like Baltimore’s Colton Cowser, Boston’s Wilyer Abreu, and his own teammate Luis Gil.
NJ.com | Max Goodman ($): DJ LeMahieu was one of the roster casualties when the team called up Jasson Domínguez and Jon Berti, going on the IL with a right hip impingement. Now the team is unsure if LeMahieu will be able to return at all this season, with an unknown recovery time and the minor leagues closing down soon removing any rehab options. The elephant in the room is that this is probably a blessing in disguise for both sides, as LeMahieu has been agonizingly bad this season and the injury likely was only adding to his poor play. Berti now steps into his role as one of the backup infielders, leaving him out of a roster spot should everyone remain healthy down the stretch, so it was likely that he’d get shut down regardless by the end of the regular season.
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): Speaking of Domínguez, Alex Verdugo remains on the roster after the top prospect’s promotion but is likely to see a significant cut in his playing time to allow the Martian regular reps in the outfield. Verdugo has taken this in stride, saying that Domínguez is “gonna help this team win,” and that “If I lose a little bit of playing time, I lose a little bit of playing time.” It’s a surprisingly selfless position for the outfielder on the verge of free agency, but after struggling for most of the year it’s also the wisest position Verdugo could take. Verdugo is still expected to see some play if the Yankees rotate Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in for either some DH days or outright days off down the stretch.
