Yankees Add Ex-Red Sox Slugger To MLB Roster To Replace Injured Outfielder

New York has turned to an old friend once again

Scott Neville | Jul 8, 2023

Yankees Add Ex-Red Sox Slugger To MLB Roster To Replace Injured Outfielder /

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The New York Yankees have turned to the same former Boston Red Sox outfielder at multiple points throughout the season, and have done so once again.

The Yankees called up Franchy Cordero prior to Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs to replace outfielder Jake Bauers (left rotator cuff contusion), who was just placed on the 10-day injured list.

New York's decision to call up Cordero is stunning. Yes, the Yankees are down to their last bit of outfield depth, but it should never be this bad.

Cordero entered play Friday hitting .148 with five extra-base hits including four home runs, 11 RBIs, a .568 OPS and a 21-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 19 games for New York scattered across multiple call-ups. He's also an awful corner outfielder.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have a much more productive player to turn to.

Estevan Florial is hitting .295 with 36 extra-base hits including 21 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .992 OPS in 66 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"Boone said that Florial not being on the 40-man roster plays a part, but that Florial 'certainly keeps pushing himself into the conversation,'" Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch tweeted Friday regarding the matter.

The reasoning Boone gave was a little weak, as the best players should be in the lineup for a team that plans on contending.

Regardless, here comes another shot for Cordero, whose raw athleticism has been enough to attract frequent big-league opportunities despite a consistent lack of production for years on end.

Normally, it would be logical to root for a former Red Sox player. This is not one of those times. Let the Yankees' offensive struggles continue while Boston starts to catch up in the Wild Card race.

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Published Jul 8, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu