Inside The Dodgers

Former Dodgers Prospect Involved in Megatrade Heads to Japan

Maren Angus-Coombs

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Yankees announced a roster move involving a former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect on Tuesday morning ahead of the trade deadline.

Unfortunately, there won't be another Jeter in pinstripes.

The Yankees released infielder Jeter Downs and then announced that he signed a contract to play in Japan with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks via a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Downs, a native of Columbia, didn't have much of a future with the Yankees and once they traded for Jazz Chisolm Jr. from the Miami Marlins, the writing was on the wall.

The 26-year-old hit .264 with 10 homers, 38 RBIs and an .858 OPS this season playing 68 games with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

The minor leaguer signed with the Yankees during the offseason as a free agent. He participated in big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Downs was traded from the Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox as part of the deal for superstar Mookie Betts in 2020. He has 20 games of major league experience and batted .182 with a homer and five RBIs The right-handed hitter was 6-for-39 with a homer playing 14 games with the Boston Red Sox in 2023 and 2-for-5 in six games last season with the Washington Nationals.

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Maren Angus-Coombs

MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.

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