New York Post | Greg Joyce: Trent Grisham met the Yankees at Fenway Park Thursday to take the next step in his recovery from a hamstring strain. The center fielder took BP and did some fielding drills, a first step before a (likely brief) rehab stint to slated begin soon. Grisham, who’s been out since June 13, has been progressing at or ahead of schedule. “He’s doing really well,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s been encouraging. He’ll probably hit the bases … a couple times this weekend while we’re here. But he’s getting close.” With Aaron Judge also on the IL, the Yankees have been shorthanded in Grisham’s absence, using youngsters Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones in the outfield as well as José Caballero and Max Schuemann, two utilitymen who have mostly played in the infield in the big leagues.
MLB.com | Mike Petriello: Paul Goldschmidt’s resurgence as one of the best hitters in baseball in his age-38 campaign is one of the biggest surprises of the season. Usually, this type of turnaround comes due to some combination of better hard-hit rate, higher bat speed, and fewer strikeouts. Goldschmidt’s got none of these. Instead, it appears he’s eschewed trying to be a successful all-around hitter for a more extreme approach, making both more very weak contact and more very hard contact. This may be a product of hunting heaters — Goldy’s posted an astonishing 12 run value against fastballs. He also has the widest platoon splits in baseball and has been facing the highest percentage of lefties of his entire career as Boone has been able to insert him into favorable matchups.
The veteran’s manager offers a more simplistic explanation. “Look, he’s just a Hall of Fame player,” said Boone. “Unbelievable hitter in his career. He’s in amazing shape. He’s incredibly prepared. And I think he just enjoys the game as much as you possibly can.”
ESPN | Jorge Castillo: For Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice, the Yankees’ two biggest breakout stars this season, this weekend’s series in Boston represents a homecoming. Both grew up in enemy territory not far from Fenway Park, with Schlittler a die-hard Sox fan and Rice a contrarian rooting for the Yankees. And, while the Red Sox spent time scouting Rice, they eschewed Schlittler, making the latter’s transition from Boston faithful to New York ace an easy one. Another key nugget from this profile: Rice wants in on the Home Run Derby, an event to which he should receive an invite given his 22 home runs rank third in the AL.
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