The New York Yankees announced that they have outrighted infielder Jeter Downs and outfielder Oscar Gonzalez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Outfielder Bubba Thompson was also claimed off of waivers by the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees designated Jeter Downs, Oscar Gonzalez and Bubba Thompson for assignment recently. Downs and Gonzalez passed through waivers, while Thompson was obviously claimed by the Twins.
Gonzalez was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, whose signing with the Yankees became official last week. Gonzalez was added as outfield depth this offseason before the moves for Juan Soto, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo. Now, he will be in the minor leagues. He was previously with the Cleveland Guardians, and hit a walk-off single against the Yankees in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS. The Yankees eventually came back to win that series.
Downs was designated for assignment as a corresponding move to make room for infielder Diego Castillo, who was claimed from the New York Mets. Downs was one of the bigger pieces the Boston Red Sox got in return for sending Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Diego Castillo is a former Yankees prospect as well, and he was in the trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire relief pitcher Clay Holmes.
Lastly, Thompson was designated for assignment to make room for the signing of pitcher Luke Weaver, who should be a long-reliever for the Yankees in 2024.
The Yankees’ roster is coming into shape, and they were able to keep Downs and Gonzalez in the organization as depth.
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