The Yankees have optioned outfielder Franchy Cordero to Triple-A, the team announced. A corresponding move will come before Saturday’s match with the Rangers, but there have been some reports that the team will select Triple-A outfielder Jake Bauers. Aaron Judge’s injury status will also likely play a part in the Yankees’ next move, with the team awaiting a report on the MRI on his hip, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
Cordero, always a player with tantalizing power, belted four home runs in his first seven games for the Yankees this season and looked to be staking a claim for the team’s problematic left-field spot. However, since April 13, Cordero has gone just 1-for-28 with 13 strikeouts and no walks. That’s left him with an overall line on the season of .151/.182/.396 with four home runs.
The Yankees signed Cordero to a split major/minor league contract late in the spring which paid him $1M in the big leagues and $180K in the minors. Cordero has bounced around a few teams since making his debut for the Padres in 2017, with teams looking to unlock the raw power which makes him such an enticing player. Yet at every stop, Cordero’s struggled to make enough contact to find that power, as his career .215/.282/.387 line suggests.
With Cordero heading back to Triple-A, the team looks set to take a chance on Bauers, a player who’s struggled over three big league seasons but is hitting .304/.448/.797 with nine home runs in 87 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
It is a little concerning that the Yankees came out of last season with a clear need in left field yet find themselves still without a clear answer one month into the new season. Oswaldo Cabrera has seen the most time there, but he’s limped to just a .213/.238/.300 line this season. Veteran Aaron Hicks has been even worse, posting a .135/.220/.135 slash in 41 plate appearances.
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