FanGraphs | Jake Mailhot: After a nine-game win streak that included sweeps of the Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals, the Yankees vaulted to the top of FanGraphs’ rankings. leapfrogging the Mets and Dodgers. The team’s power surge has been the primary reason for the surge, as they have scored 7.4 runs/game over the course of the streak, although the pitching staff has been no slouch, either.
The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays find themselves ranked 9th and 10th, respectively, while the Red Sox are ranked 21st and the Orioles 26th.
ESPN | Associated Press: Yesterday, the Yankees began a three-game set across the border against the Toronto Blue Jays. Because Canadian law prohibits unvaccinated individuals from entering the country except in the most extreme of circumstances — a category which does not include professional sports, for what should be obvious reasons — multiple teams have been forced to play without their full roster. The Red Sox had to maneuver their starting rotation so that Tanner Houck would not be lined up to start in Toronto, while the Oakland A’s were without catcher Austin Allen and left-handers A.J. Puk and Kirby Snead.
Fortunately, despite the fact that at least some members of the Yankees were unvaccinated during spring training, the Yankees were allowed to bring their full squad north of the border. Because of this, we now know the entire roster has received the COVID-19 vaccination — a good thing not only because it allows the team to be at full strength for critical games against their division rivals, but also because getting vaccinated is just generally a very good thing for both public and personal health.
MLB Player’s Association | Jerry Crasnick: Getting to the ten-year mark is a very significant milestone in a Major League career. Sure, it comes with some concrete benefits — the full MLB pension, inclusion on the Hall of Fame ballot — but even more importantly to the players, it means that you really, truly made it. In April, a trio of Yankees — Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo, and Zack Britton — reached that milestone, and to commemorate the occasion, they spoke with Jerry Crasnick and the MLBPA to reflect on their decade-long journey.
NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: We typically don’t write about our crosstown rivals, but every once in a while, the Mets have a story that is relevant to in the Bronx. Yesterday afternoon, the Mets designated former Yankees infielder Robinson Canó for assignment to get their active roster down to 26. Although Robby has not been in pinstripes for almost a decade now, he was an important member of the 2009 World Series championship team. His career since leaving the Yankees has been marred by PED scandals, but it’s nonetheless tough to see his career potentially come to a close like this.