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Yankees' Cut Candidate Emerges Amid Aaron Judge Return
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- Yankees' Cut Candidate Emerges Amid Aaron Judge Return
Yankees' Cut Candidate Emerges Amid Aaron Judge Return
(Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
Aaron Judge seems to be inching closer and closer to a New York Yankees return as he continues to work his way back from a rib stress fracture, and when he does ultimately get back on the field, someone will have to go.
But who will be the victim?
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Chelsea Janes of SNY was asked about the situation in recent mailbag, and she seems to believe that Amed Rosario is most vulnerable.
"Amed Rosario feels like the likeliest choice, but even in a difficult offensive season, he maintains the Yankees' confidence as a right-handed option off the bench. But in the postseason, Paul Goldschmidt can fill that role, even if it means pinch-hitting for someone in another infield position: The proven positional versatility of Jose Caballero and the theoretical versatility of Luis Garcia Jr. allow for creativity," Janes wrote .
Rosario does seem like the most natural player to dump, but that doesn't mean it will be an easy decision for the Yankees .
The 30-year-old is slashing .238/.283/.422 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI over 223 plate appearances this season, and while those numbers might not be great, he has gotten some big hits, and he is a tremendous clubhouse presence.
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However, Rosario's deficiencies are too glaring to overlook.
The primary reason why New York re-signed him during the offseason was because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching, but he is actually managing far better against righties (.874 OPS) than southpaws (.614 OPS) this season.
Heck, his .306/.346/.528 slash line against right-handers leads one to believe that maybe he should only play against righties.
But the Yankees' decision to acquire Heliot Ramos, a lefty masher, at the MLB trade deadline probably spells doom for Rosario, who isn't good enough defensively to justify keeping on the roster.
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New York could simply play Caballero at third base on days Ryan McMahon rests, and while the Yanks could always send Spencer Jones back down, it would probably behoove them not to do that based on how well he has been swinging the bat .
The Yankees initially acquired Rosario before the 2025 trade deadline, and since his arrival, he has posted a respectable .716 OPS as a bench bat.
But he probably hasn't been quite good enough to save him a roster spot with the postseason looming.
