Yankees news: Judge back on shelf

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips : Arguably the biggest surprise of the 2026 season — beyond the fact that the Yankees somehow managed to keep their heads above water despite Aaron Judge missing three months, of course — has been the breakout of outfielder Spencer Jones. The former top prospect has managed to position himself as "a key cog in the Yankees' lineup," taking advantage of opportunities offered by injuries to Judge, Trent Grisham , Cody Bellinger , and Giancarlo Stanton . In particular, his performance against southpaws, which had long been a weakness throughout his minor league career, has been a pleasant surprise. That being said, it hasn't been all sunshine and roses: Jones has yet to flash the leather in the way many have expected him to. Even so, however, it seems likely that Jones will be a critical part of the team's postseason run, whether as the starting center fielder or a key reserve.

MLB.com | Mike Lupica : For all the attention that the Yankees' veteran stars — Judge, Gerrit Cole , Max Fried , and Giancarlo Stanton — receive, the 2026 season has been a veritable youth movement. Key to that has been the development, of course, of first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice and AL Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler . The two youngsters from Massachusetts, never highly rated as prospects, have turned themselves into veritable forces at the plate and on the mound, and without their contributions, the injury-riddled 2026 Yankees would almost certainly be spending the final few days of the season playing out the string, not attempting to make a last-ditch run at the AL East while lining up the rotation for a matchup with the Red Sox in the Wild Card round.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald : Yesterday afternoon, the Yankees announced that Oswaldo Cabrera , the popular utilityman who has been with the organization since 2015, had been claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds . He had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Clarke Schmidt .