Yankees’ Paul DeJong gives contract ultimatum over promotion

Veteran infielder Paul DeJong signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees this past offseason. The 32-year-old last appeared at the MLB level in 2025 with the Washington Nationals. He has yet to play in MLB this season, but he is hoping that will change soon. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, DeJong has told the Yankees that he will opt out of his contract at the end of the month if he does not receive a promotion.

The Yankees already have a respectable amount of infield depth on the roster. It is uncertain if DeJong’s message will lead to a big league promotion.

DeJong was an All-Star in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He has struggled for the most part since the ’19 campaign, however. With that being said, DeJong is a veteran with a proven track record. If he does opt out of his deal, a number of teams would likely display interest.

In 22 games at Triple-A this season, DeJong is hitting .213/.359/.541. The batting average clearly is not ideal, but DeJong’s OBP and power numbers (he has six home runs) will catch the Yankees’ attention.

New York has performed well to begin the 2026 season. The ball club is 18-10 overall and currently sits 1.5 games ahead of the second place Tampa Bay Rays. However, the Yankees still understand that depth is important. They surely do not love the idea of losing DeJong due to a potential contract opt-out.

Updates on the Yankees and Paul DeJong’s situation will be monitored and provided as they are made available.