The Yankees added some outfield depth on Thursday afternoon, claiming Bryan De La Cruz off waivers from the Braves.
The suitable-handed hitter was optioned to Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred Giancarlo Stanton (tennis elbows) to the 60-day injured listing.
The Stanton transfer is solely a procedural one, as he missed all of spring coaching and was by no means anticipated again inside 60 days.
De La Cruz, in the meantime, hit simply .191/.240/.213 with zero homers and nil RBI over 16 video games for Atlanta this season. The 28-year-old put up equally uninspiring numbers over 11 video games at Triple-A.
Nonetheless, De La Cruz has proven some pop previously, hitting 53 dwelling runs over 417 video games for the Marlins and Pirates from 2022-2024. He’s a .251/.295/.402 lifetime hitter with 58 homers and 208 RBI over 491 complete video games.
The Yankees have been in search of right-handed bats since spring coaching. De La Cruz’s arrival shouldn’t convey that search to an finish, as he solely has a .697 OPS vs. lefties. He’s been just about the identical towards righties, tallying a .698 OPS.
De La Cruz is just not thought-about a powerful defender; he’s recorded -18 Outs Above Common for his profession whereas primarily enjoying the corners. Nonetheless, he does have two minor league choices, giving the Yankees some flexibility ought to they want it.
