The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 11-6 Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

After a difficult stretch, Yankees RHP Luis Severino got back on track against the Blue Jays on Saturday. He was solid, if unspectacular.

In Severino's last seven outings entering Saturday's start, he was 3-4 with a 7.50 ERA and allowed 11 home runs. He came closer to his pre-July dominance against Toronto.

Severino allowed two runs on six hits in five innings with eight strikeouts. He threw 100 pitches, 68 for strikes.

Yankees SS Didi Gregorius hit another home run on Saturday against the Blue Jays and he's been consistent in where those dingers land.

Gregorius has pulled each of his 89 career home runs, never sending a shot to the opposite field. Check it out.

The Yankees continue their three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 5-4 on their season-long 11-game homestand. ... Giancarlo Stanton hit his 31st HR of the season on Friday vs. Toronto. ... has six home runs in his last 11 game. ... Friday's 7-5 win in seven innings marked the Yankees' first rain-shortened game since 2014.

Our weekly minor league report canvases the Yankees' farm system providing updates about the organization's top prospects.

Notes: Prospect rankings (via MLBPipeline.com) are club based with overall MLB rank, if appli-cable, in parenthesis. Team records, statistics and current club assignments are through games played August 10, 2018.

Top-10 Prospects

No. 1 (No. 27) - Justus Sheffield (LHP) - Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre - ETA 2018

Sheffield finally suffered a blip in what has been a fantastic season. In 1 1/2 innings, Sheffield allowed four runs on four hits and a whopping five walks. The Yankees have been reluctant to bring Sheffield up to the majors and his command has likely been one of the issues (21 walks in last 53 1/3 innings, which is 3.5 walks per nine innings).

Giancarlo Stanton and Neil Walker both homered to lead the Yankees to a rain-shortened 7-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

1) Walker's three-run blast off Marcus Stroman in the fourth inning turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

2) Yankees LHP Lance Lynn struggled, giving up five runs, six hits and three walks in four-plus innings, allowing a game-tying single to Devon Travis before he was replaced by Chad Green, who threw two scoreless innings of relief.

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez and outfielder Aaron Judge made progress from their various injuries prior to Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sanchez, who has only appeared in three games since June 24 due to a strained groin, ran the bases and took squats behind home plate as he looks to begin a rehab assignment as early as next week.

"Gary had a really good day," manager Aaron Boone said, according to Newsday's Erik Boland. "I didn't see him run but the report was that he ran really well. I was out there for his defensive work, where he was throwing to bases and he looked really good."

The Yankees didn't acquire Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, but perhaps Machado joins pinstripes this winter.

Machado, who has split time at shortstop and third base since joining the Dodgers, reportedly is willing to sacrifice his desire to be a full-time shortstop if he was to join the Yankees, who other people believe are his No. 1 choice in free agency, according to Fancred Sports' Jon Heyman.

The 26-year-old Machado, who has a .306/.382/.540 batting line in 122 games with the Orioles and Dodgers, is one of the premier players who will hit the free-agent market this offseason and could command one of the richest contracts in baseball.

After losing two of three games to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees begin a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 11-11 without Aaron Judge this season. ... Over his last 22 games, Brett Gardner is hitting just .215 with one home run and two RBIs. ... In the second half, Miguel Andujar has a .340/.359/.620 batting line with seven home runs and 20 RBIs.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | A few weeks ago, in the days leading up to the trade deadline, the press dining room at Yankee Stadium was packed with scouts, as it always is that time of year. One night at dinner, a guy working for an American League club with pitching to trade said of the Yanks, "This is a team that can win the World Series right now."

He meant that the Yankees young position players were in bloom, the new manager was a natural, and all aspects of the club seemed to be clicking. This scout's contention was, as long as the Yanks added a starting pitcher, they were finally back to being championship-caliber.

Well, they later added two starting pitchers in J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn, and a high-end reliever in Zach Britton. And it didn't end up being enough to stop the slow fizzle of that championship mojo...

It has been 20 years since the Yankees were crowned World Series champions during the 1998 season. But when the team recognizes the anniversary on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter won't be there. 

Before the game, an on-field reunion will occur, with Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, David Cone, Darryl Strawberry, and former manager Joe Torre. 

The only key cogs from that '98 team who won't be there are Jeter and Scott Brosius, who is a coach for the Mariners. 

It has been three weeks since Aaron Judge was placed on the disabled list with a chip fracture in his right wrist, and he is still, in his words, "frustrated" that he's not in the Yankees lineup.

"I'm not frustrated with the pace, I'm frustrated with being out," Judge said, according to NJ Advance Media's Brendan Kuty. "But the pace, you never know. I got a broken bone, it's still fractured. So [I] got to give it time to heal and I got to make sure I'm 100 percent before I go back out there, because I don't want to have a setback when I come back."

Judge received a cortisone shot in his right wrist earlier this week, and the team's initial three-week timetable has already passed. GM Brian Cashman said he doesn't think Judge will "hit the ground running" once he returns, whenever that may be.

The recent struggles for Yankees 1B Greg Bird culminated on Thursday afternoon as he had an opportunity to rescue a win for the Yankees in the 9th inning.

At the plate with the bases loaded and no outs with the Yankees trailing 3-1, Bird was unable to come through with a hit. He wasn't even able to make a productive out, instead popping out to third base. His teammates behind him each struck out as the team stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th.

For the second day in a row, the Yankees could muster just one run against the Rays and fall again to Tampa Bay, 3-1. >> Box score

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives

As the Yankees push for 100 wins, the mark will likely come up well short of the Red Sox, forcing New York to participate in the Wild Card Game for the second straight season. There are currently three teams -- all in the AL West -- that could be potential opponents. How would the Yankees stack up against the clubs and which team might be the best matchup?

Houston Astros

With the Nationals falling out of playoff contention, could infielder Daniel Murphy be a fit for the Yankees? ESPN's Buster Olney suggested early Thursday that Murphy could be a good fit for AL teams in need of a DH and a fit at first base for the Yanks.

The 33-year-old Murphy is hitting .310/.354/.466 with six homers and nine doubles in 52 games with the Nats this season after missing the first few months while recovering from knee surgery.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives: Assuming Murphy could get to the Yankees' waiver position, making a move for him would make a lot of sense for New York. This isn't about ragging on Greg Bird or suggesting he has no future with the Yankees as much as it has to do with the first baseman's season-long struggles. When excitement forms over very scattered hard-hit balls and excuses abound for the lack of actual results (90 OPS+ over 256 plate appearances coming into today), then a playoff club has to ask the question, "Can we get better in this spot?"

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Would you consider starting Dellin Betances in the wild card game?

It was a vaguely ridiculous question, but Aaron Boone stopped in a hallway outside the Yankees clubhouse on Thursday morning to think about it.

The Yankees (75-445 finish their series with the Rays (61-59) on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 4-2 on their 11-game homestand after a win against the Rays last night. J.A. Happ tossed another great outing, limiting the Rays to one hit over seven innings in the 4-1 win. Happ is the first pitcher to claim a win in each of his first three straight with the Yankees since Kevin Brown in 2004. ...The Yankees have won all five starts that Happ and Lance Lynn have tossed since their trades. 

The Yankees were getting on base, but they couldn't get each other around in their 6-1 loss to the Rays at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

1) Happ managed to keep the Rays from scoring despite walking four batters. He only allowed one hit while striking out four batters. Happ is now 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three outings since joining the Yankees on July 26. 

2) Dellin Betances allowed the Yankes' only run in the eighth inning when Willy Adames hit a solo home run. Aroldis Chapman allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to notch his 31st save of the season. 

The Yankees are bringing up some more bullpen help, as RHP Tommy Kahnle is reportedly heading to New York, according to Times-Tribune's Conor Foley.

Kahnle has pitched only 10 innings for the Yankees this season, as was dealing with shoulder and bicep tendinitis. He last pitched for the Yanks on Aug. 3 where he didn't allow a run in one inning against the Red Sox. He was, then, optioned back to Triple-A to make room for Chance Adams, who got a spot start in that Sox series. 

It was a good sign to see Kahnle in control of his fastball and power changeup in his quick inning up in the bigs, and he will likely get the chance to prove he can stay in the coming games. 

With CC Sabathia hitting the DL with right knee inflammation, the Yankees needed someone to take his spot in the rotation. The choice was Luis Cessa, and he took the mound at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night to hopefully give his team enough to get to the bullpen and ride out another win. 

Instead, he put them in a big hole early. 

Cessa allowed five runs on seven hits over 3.1 innings in his start. He also struck out four and walked two over that span.

Some more bad news came surfaced about Yankees OF Aaron Judge, as GM Brian Cashman told WFAN the All-Star received a cortisone shot in his right wrist. 

This means that Judge's wrist isn't healing as predicted, and the three-week timetable to return to the field was too hopeful.

"I doubt he hits the ground running," Cashman said. 

The Yankees (75-44) continue their three-game series with the Rays (60-59) on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 4-2 on their 11-game homestand after a win against the Rays last night. J.A. Happ tossed another great outing, limiting the Rays to one hit over seven innings in the 4-1 win. Happ is the first pitcher to claim a win in each of his first three straight with the Yankees since Kevin Brown in 2004. ...The Yankees have won all five starts that Happ and Lance Lynn have tossed since their trades. 

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives: At 4 p.m. on July 31, the trade deadline came to an end with the Yankees starting play 5.5 games behind the Red Sox. Two weeks later, the Yankees are now 10 games back, and just 3.5 games ahead of Oakland for the top Wild Card position.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman made a couple of trades that have turned out well thus far -- J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn among them. However, did he do everything he could or should have when it came to upgrading the club for a run at first place and a potential World Series title?

Too much faith in Britton turnaround?

Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ continued his hot start with his new team on Tuesday night when he pitched seven scoreless innings against the Rays.

He allowed one soft single in the fourth inning and worked around four walks to keep the Rays off the board. 

"It got better as the game went on,'' said Happ, who needed 106 pitches to get through seven innings. 

J.A. Happ tossed seven shutout innings and Austin Romine hit a two-run homer to lead the Yankees to a 4-1 win over the Rays on Tuesday nght at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

1) Happ managed to keep the Rays from scoring despite walking four batters. He only allowed one hit while striking out four batters. Happ is now 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three outings since joining the Yankees on July 26. 

2) Dellin Betances allowed the Yankes' only run in the eighth inning when Willy Adames hit a solo home run. Aroldis Chapman allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to notch his 31st save of the season. 

The Yankees expect C Gary Sanchez (groin) to play rehab games next week, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Sanchez hit in the cage and did catching work on Monday. He does not feel any pain, according to Hoch, but has yet to run full speed or hit in the field. 

Manager Aaron Boone said before Monday's game that a timeline for Sanchez's return remains in line with GM Brian Cashman's original prediction that he would return in the final week of August or first week of September.

J.A. Happ and the Yankees will open a series with the Rays on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees have won three of the first five games of their 11-game homestand, which is the team's longest homestand since 2005. The Yankees sit 10 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East ... The Yankees are 54-9 when they score first in games this season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said OF Aaron Judge could begin swinging a bat as soon as this week as he works his way back from a wrist injury, reports Mandy Bell of MLB.com.

"His range of motion is really good right now, but getting to that end point we got to get that pain out of there," Boone said. "Once that happens, he'll get a bat in his hands. Hopefully it starts to progress from there very quickly."

The Yankees initially gave Judge, who left a Yankees-Royals game July 26 after he was hit by a Jakob Junis fastball in the wrist, a three-week timetable to return. 

The Yankees normally do much better when 2B Gleyber Torres is in the lineup. But the rookie hasn't shown that himself since coming off the DL. 

Torres was out for about three weeks with a right groin strain, and since his return on July 25, he has been mired in a pretty bad slump. 

How bad? Over 18 games since his return, Torres is 10-for-65 (.154) with a .308 slugging percentage and .263 on-base percentage. He also has three homers and 10 RBI over that span. 

Yankees LHP CC Sabathia expects to miss just one start after being placed on the DL Monday due to a knee issue.

Sabathia's knee started to bother him two starts ago, he said on Tuesday. He initially felt like he might have been able to pitch through the issue, but wanted to be smart about it.

The 37-year-old had his knee drained on Monday while also getting a synvisc injection, and hopes to play catch on Wednesday. 

The Yankees are 10 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East and seem destined for the Wild Card game. And the red-hot Athletics are gaining on them for home field advantage in the game that will determine who advances to the ALDS.

8-2 over their last 10 games, the A's are now just 3.5 games behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot in the American League. The Yankees are 6 games clear of the Mariners, who are chasing the A's for the second Wild Card spot.

The Yankees took two of three games from the A's from May 11-13 at Yankee Stadium, and face them again for the last time this regular season from September 3 to 5 in Oakland.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |  If you happened to be at Yankee Stadium Monday night, you not only witnessed Jacob deGrom dominate yet another opponent, but you saw his fastball rise and explode as it met the hitter, and heard that extra pop in the catcher's glove.

And you saw and heard none of that when the Yankees' Luis Severino was pitching.

The Yankees' ace continued to be a major concern -- the type of problem that, when combined with the absence of a star like the injured Aaron Judge -- can sink a team's World Series hopes. It's not just the numbers, although those are bad, and they include a 7.50 ERA over his last seven starts and 11 homers allowed over that span. It's the sizzle missing from his pitches -- a problem that actually worsened Monday night.

The Yankees will have J.A. Happ, Luis Cessa and Masahiro Tanaka start in a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays that begins Tuesday after they placed LHP CC Sabathia on the disabled list earlier Monday afternoon.

Cessa, who last pitched on Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, will start Wednesday and take Sabathia's spot in the rotation after he went on the DL with right knee inflammation.

The 26-year-old Cessa, who is 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in seven minor-league starts and 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in eight major-league appearances (three starts) this season, received the nod over top prospect Justus Sheffield, who is 5-3 with a 2.16 ERA with the RailRiders and last pitched on Thursday; Chance Adams, who made his MLB debut earlier this month against the Red Sox; and Sonny Gray, who was bumped out of the rotation a couple of weeks ago.

Yankees RHP Luis Severino had his shortest outing of the season in Monday's 8-5 loss to the Mets, allowing four runs, seven hits, one walk and two home runs in four innings.

Severino (15-6) allowed two runs in the first inning, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second and gave up two more runs in the fourth inning, throwing 98 pitches before manager Aaron Boone brought in Chad Green.

The 24-year-old Severino's second-half struggles continued, as his ERA in five starts since the All-Star break is 7.96. And since July 7, his ERA has skyrocketed from 1.98 to 3.27. Despite that, manager Aaron Boone said he doesn't plan to skip his spot in the rotation, especially given the team just placed CC Sabathia on the disabled list earlier Monday.

Luis Severino and A.J. Cole combined to surrender five home runs as the Yankees lost to the Mets 8-5 on Monday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

1) Severino (15-6) allowed a leadoff homer to Amed Rosario and a two-run home run to Jose Bautista, giving up four runs and seven hits in four innings, his shortest outing of the season.

2) Cole, meanwhile, allowed a solo home run to Todd Frazier in the sixth inning and back-to-back home runs to Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto in the seventh inning that made it 7-3.

The Yankees and Mets play a make-up game from July 22 when they meet for the final time in 2018 on Monday at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 p.m.

Subway Series notes

The Yankees are 10-8 without Aaron Judge this season. ... In 16 career games against the Yankees, Mets outfielder Michael Conforto has a .160 batting average with one home run and six RBIs. ... The Yankees are 3-2 against the Mets this season and 69-48 since the first Subway Series took place in 1997.

With RHP George Kontos promoted to the Yankees from Triple-A, a corresponding move needed to be made. But this isn't the move Yankee fans want to hear.

The Yankees announced that LHP CC Sabathia is hitting the 10-day DL with right knee inflammation. Sabathia started on Sunday, where he allowed just one hit and no runs over six innings. He also struck out seven while walking three over his 97-pitch outing.

Sabathia has dealt with knee pain for awhile now. He wears a brace on that right knee, which has been deemed arthritic. He complained of knee pain to trainer Steve Donahue after Sunday's start and said he thought he could benefit from missing a turn in the rotation, GM Brian Cashman told reporters on Monday.

On this day 23 years ago, the Yankees lost one of their greatest legends in Mickey Mantle, who passed away at age 63.

"The Mick" was not only the face of the Yankees while he played in the Bronx, but he was also one of the bright stars in the MLB. A 16-time All-Star, Mantle played all 18 of his MLB seasons with the Yankees, where he amassed a .298 career average with 536 homers and 1,509 RBI. 

It was in 1956 when the switch-hitting Mantle had his best statistical year, as he won the Triple Crown with a .353 batting average, 52 homers, and 130 RBI. He was also named the AL MVP and Major League Player of the Year that season. He would follow up this tremendous year with yet another AL MVP title in 1957. 

Yankees LHP CC Sabathia spent six seasons as Derek Jeter's teammate and the last four as Didi Gregorius'.

For as much of an icon Jeter was in New York, he commended Gregorius' ability to take on the role of being the franchise shortstop.

"If he wouldn't have come in and did what he did the last three or four years," Sabathia said of Gregorius, according to NJ Advance Media's Brendan Kuty, "we'd still be talking about Jeet and how we need leadership and all that stuff. ... But he's erased it. You've got to give him credit for that."

CC Sabahia pitched six scoreless innings and Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius each contributed a pair of RBI to lead the Yankees to a 7-2 win over the Rangers on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.  >> Box score

1) Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run in the first inning and Gregorius added a two-run blast in the fifth. Brett Gardner had two hits, including a double and an RBI single. Austin Romine added two hits and scored a run.

The Yankees (72-43) continue their four-game series with the Rangers (52-67) at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees have taken two of the first three games of their four-game serise with the Rangers at Yankee Stadium ... The Yankees are 9.5 games behind the AL East-leading Red Sox... The Yankees are 4.5 games ahead of the Athletics for the first wild card spot in the AL.

Miguel Andujar put the Yankees ahead in the seventh inning with a home run and Aroldis Chapman was shaky, but got the save to close out a 5-3 win over the Rangers. >> Box score

1) Andujar ripped a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, his 17th of the season. The rookie went 2-4.

Lance Lynn made his second start for the Yankees and his first outing would be a tough act to follow.

Lynn was solid one again for his new team against the Rangers on Saturday, giving up a run on five hits in five innings with eight strikeouts and three walks. He struggled with his command, throwing 57 of his 90 pitches for strikes, leading to a shorter outing.

In the first inning Lynn allowed a leadoff single but struck out the next three batters he faced. The next frame, the righty worked around a double to keep the Rangers off the board.

Yankees OF Giancarlo Stanton mashed another home run, his fourth in five games, to give the Yankees the lead in the first inning against the Rangers.

WATCH BELOW

The Yankees (72-43) continue their four-game series with the Rangers (52-66) at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 12-7 loss to Texas on Friday at Yankee Stadium. ... Austin Romine tied a career-high with three hits. ... Masahiro Tanaka snapped his 14-start unbeaten streak.

Masahiro Tanaka tossed a dud and the bullpen didn't stop the bleeding as the Yankees dropped the second game of their series with the Rangers, 12-7, in the Bronx. >> Box score

1) The Yankees teed off on whoever the Rangers sent to the mound, crushing five home runs, including two from Neil Walker and one each from Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andujar.

There is no hiding the Yankees are banged up, given two of their sluggers -- Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge -- are both out due to injury. Judge said earlier Friday that he still hasn't been able to pick up a bat, and there is going to be discomfort in his fractured right hand for awhile.

As for Sanchez, though, manager Aaron Boone gave some promising news before the Yankees' matchup with the Rangers. He has been in Tampa rehabbing a right groin strain.

"I think he'll probably be on the ground running there this weekend and he'll fly here Sunday night to join us starting Monday," Boone told the YES Network before the game. "And I would say Monday we'll really ramp up as far as the hitting, starting to do catching things, and then the normal conditioning as well. But he's progressing well, feeling good."

Yankees OF Aaron Judge may not be able to help right now, but he isn't going to wave the white flag in the AL East race. 

New York currently sits eight games behind Boston for the division lead entering Friday night, and after the Sox gave them a rough four-game sweep this past weekend, many believe the division race is over. 

Judge says he and the rest of the team are not going to give in to that kind of talk.