The New York Yankees have been accumulating corner outfielders to bolster a somewhat weak position in left field over the past few months.
They have cycled through a variety of players, but it appears as if they have found a viable solution in Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Kiner-Falefa has been exceptional over the past few weeks, recording a .262 batting average, a .304 OBP, and a .797 OPS in the month of May. Impressively, over the last 15 days, he’s batting .314 with a .333 OBP and a .905 OPS, tallying two homers and 11 RBIs.
The Yankees lose a supplemental outfielder:
As the corner outfield positions are becoming more solidified, Kole Calhoun, a 35-year-old reserve player for the Yankees who has spent 21 games with Triple-A Scranton, chose to become a free agent. Calhoun boasted a .293 batting average, a .402 OBP, hitting four homers with 18 RBIs, and a 12.4% walk rate.
Calhoun, a former Gold Glove recipient, has had a fair amount of success at the MLB level, hitting 173 career home runs with a .243 average and a .316 OBP. He had a standout season in 2016 with the Los Angeles Angels, hitting .271 with a .348 OBP, contributing 18 homers and 75 RBIs.
Over his career, he’s held a .986 fielding percentage in the outfield, with a personal best of six defensive runs saved in 2015.
Regrettably, the Yankees didn’t have room for Calhoun to get Major League game time, opting instead for Franchy Cordero, a decision that might raise eyebrows.
With Calhoun entering the free-agent market, the Yankees might consider bringing him back if they are hit by a series of injuries, although they would undoubtedly prefer to evade such a scenario.
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