Inside the Astros

Former Astros Utility Man to Join Yankees After Fantastic Spring

A former Houston Astros utility man earned a shot with the New York Yankees after his strong spring.

Dylan Sanders

Feb 26, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Cooper Hummel (1) returns to the dugout following the third inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Feb 26, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Cooper Hummel (1) returns to the dugout following the third inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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A former Houston Astros utility man is getting another shot at the Majors with a new team after his strong spring.

ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news on Friday afternoon that the New York Yankees would be signing Hummel to a minor league deal, where he would be starting at Triple-A with a chance to earn a spot on the MLB roster.

Hummel is coming off of a fantastic spring that saw him post a .316/.435/.447 slash line with seven drawn walks. He also hit five doubles and stole two bases, showing some baserunning prowess.

He was unable to break camp with the Astros, partially due to the explosion of top prospects Cam Smith and Zach Dezenzo, but he did enough to earn a shot with a new team. He had elected free agency earlier in the week.

Houston had orginally claimed Hummel off waivers back in April of last year, but was immediately DFA'd after Spencer Arrighetti got promoted.

Hummel was outrighted to the minors, where he spent most of the year.

At the Triple-A level last season, the switch-hitter posted a .277/.419/.454 slash line. That is close enough to his spring production to be promising and is not far off from what his normal level of production is.

The 30-year-old has shown a base level of skill for years in the minors, but has never really gotten the longterm chance to stick at the next level.

The Yankees could use him as a utility man in their outfield, which is heavy with left-handed bats right now. Hummel is similarly skilled from both sides of the plate.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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