Former Red Sox Prospect Has Moved Past Trade

Yorke was ultimately traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for starting pitcher Quinn Priester ahead of the trade deadline last year. He spoke with Alex Speier of The Boston Globe ahead of Tuesday's Spring Training matchup between the two sides, stating:

To be honest, I’ve kind of left that in the rear view. They didn’t want me, and they wanted me over here, so I’m going to make the best of the opportunity over here. I could honestly care less what’s going on over there.

Yorke added that the trade did not feel good initially as he felt he was playing the best baseball of his career. He noted that his goal is to ensure Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made the best trade of his life.

The infielder was hitting .310 with six home runs, 19 RBIs, six stolen bases, and an .898 OPS in 38 games for the Worcester Red Sox, the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate. Yorke continued to produce after the trade as he appeared in 41 games for the Indianapolis Indians, Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate. He hit .355 with two home runs, 26 RBIs, seven stolen bases, and a .938.

He earned a promotion and made his Major League debut on September 16. While he got off to a hot start, picking up five hits in his first three games, his success did not last. Yorke hit just .216 with two home runs, five RBIs, two stolen bases, and a .664 OPS over 11 games. The 22-year-old is competing for a spot on the Pirates Opening Day roster.