​It was an eventful few days for the Yankees in Philadelphia, where Ben Rice competed in the Home Run Derby, Cody Bellinger won MVP of the All-Star Game and Cam Schlittler soaked it all in.But those experiences are already in the past.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNow, the Yankees’ focus turns to the season’s second half, starting Friday night when they begin a litmus-test series against the two-time defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the Bronx.The Yankees come out of the break with a 54-42 record and are three games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.“We’re in July. We’ve got a long way to go in this,” manager Aaron Boone said last weekend. “We’ve put ourselves in position to have a really special season. That’s all, to this point.”Here are five biggest Yankees storylines going into the second half.The Yankees are 18-19 without Judge, who hasn’t appeared in a game since May 31 due a right rib stress fracture.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJudge was set to undergo reimaging during the All-Star break, so an update on how well his injury is healing should be imminent.The Yankees need good news there, as their offense has struggled for extended stretches — especially during a recent 1-9 slide — without Judge anchoring their lineup.In early June, the Yankees said they expect Judge to return this season. Clarity on the three-time AL MVP’s status will help set expectations for the remainder of the season and could inform how aggressive the Yankees are at the trade deadline.Teams are less than three weeks away from the Aug. 3 deadline, though that might be difficult to grasp given the lack of activity on the trade market thus far.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat’s a symptom of the expanded postseason field, as a whopping 23 teams currently hold or are within four games of a playoff spot.Still, there will be sellers as the deadline grows closer, and the Yankees — who were extremely active before last year’s deadline — have multiple needs.The biggest are at catcher, where Austin Wells is enduring a career-worst season, and in the bullpen, where the Yankees could use multiple high-leverage arms.The catcher most frequently linked to the Yankees is Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, who is batting .292 with seven home runs and a .942 OPS in 39 games.An impending free agent, Jeffers recently returned from a hamate bone fracture in his left hand. He bats right-handed, which would provide a platoon complement to the lefty-swinging Wells.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut if the Yankees could pry, say, Hunter Goodman — and his 27 home runs — from the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rockies, that would represent a much bigger swing.Among the relievers who might become available are the Mets’ Luke Weaver and the Boston Red Sox’s Aroldis Chapman, though the latter’s tenure with the Yankees ended unceremoniously.The Yankees have alternated between Anthony Vo