NJ.com | Randy Miller: Yesterday, it was reported that Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, who began the year on the injured list due to offseason surgery, was dealing with right hamstring tightness. Although the left-hander did throw a bullpen session yesterday, it appears that, although the Yankees believe the injury is a “minor thing,” the start of Rodón’s rehab assignment has been pushed back slightly.
ESPN | Associated Press: Yankees No. 5 starter Luis Gil, who was not named to the Opening Day roster because the Yankees only need a four-man rotation until April 11th, reported to Triple-A Scranton yesterday. According to manager Aaron Boone, Gil will have his next bullpen day and make his next start with the RailRiders, before making his season debut with the big league club at Tampa Bay next Saturday.
MLB.com | Jim Callis: MLB has officially informed all of its teams about each respective slot values and combined available bonus pool money for the upcoming 2026 draft. The pick values are up by 2.5 percent from 2025. The Yankees will have a total of $7,342,800 at their disposal for draft bonuses this July, with their top pick (35th overall) worth $2,826,700. As a reminder for those unfamiliar, teams can choose to distribute the combined bonus pool money however they want and are not obligated to go by each pick’s official designation. They can also outspend their total pool by zero to five percent and only be taxed an extra 75-percent on the overage. Outspending beyond that carries future draft pick penalties, which have never been incurred in the 14-year history of this system.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: It’s only been a week, but early indications suggest that the Yankees will be both one of the most aggressive and one of the most successful teams when it comes to challenging balls and strikes via the new ABS challenge system. Heading into action yesterday afternoon, New York led the league in challenges with 10, including eight successful, and the team’s catching tandem of Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra had been a perfect four-for-four. According to the players, this has been a deliberate strategy, as the team had what Aaron Judge jokingly called “too many meetings” to gameplan for the new wrinkle.
Front Office Sports | Ryan Glasspiegel: Former Yankee reliever Adam Ottavino continues to build his post-playing media career, adding a gig with ESPN as an MLB analyst to a busy schedule that includes work as a studio analyst with the YES Network, Sunday Night Baseball with NBC Sports, and his own YouTube channel. Ottavino joins an analyst team that has undergone extensive turnover this winter.