Angels DFA Tyler Wade; Should the Yankees Bring Him Back?

Wade was hitting .218 this season with the Angels, his first season away from the Yankees.

Tyler Wade was designated for assignment by the Angels on Sunday.

Should the Yankees pounce and bring the utility man back to New York?

Wade spent his entire professional career in the Yankees organization leading up to this past offseason. The speedster was drafted by New York in 2013, spending time with the big-league club in every season from 2017 to 2021.

Last November, Wade's tenure in pinstripes came to an end when he was designated for assignment. He ended up getting traded to Los Angeles a few days later, a chance for consistent playing time at his primary positions in the middle infield. 

After a hot start to the 2022 season in an Angels uniform—Wade hit .304 with a .717 OPS in the month of April—the infielder regressed to his career numbers. Before the Angels pulled the plug this weekend, Wade was batting .218/.272/.272 across 67 games. He had eight steals and flexed his defensive versatility all over the diamond, but was a nonfactor offensively.

#Angels Transactions:
•Selected the contract of INF Michael Stefanic
•Designated INF Tyler Wade for assignment

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) July 3, 2022

Before completely ruling out a reunion, let's give Wade a fair shot. 

Sure, his -0.4 bWAR this year is an eyesore, his subzero defensive runs saved is a red flag and his .544 OPS makes you cringe, but if you followed the Yankees last season, you know that Wade is capable of contributing off the bench. The numbers might not be glamorous, far from it in this case, but it never hurts to have a reserve that can play reliable defense all over and steal a bag when needed.

Wade, 27, led the Yankees last year in stolen bases (17), hitting .268 despite sporadic playing time. There were stretches last summer where he even flashed some consistency on offense. In the month of August, Wade slashed .457/.548/.571 over 43 plate appearances. 

It didn't work out for Wade in an Angels uniform (not much has worked out for the Angels this year), but perhaps his familiarity with the Yankees and their roster can bring that spark out of him again for the rest of this season?

That's wishful thinking, though.

The Yankees are the best team in baseball with a roster that's far more well-rounded than it was last year. Their base running is better and their defense has improved significantly. Plus, with Marwin Gonzalez on the bench, they already have a Wade-like asset that can fill in at different positions—he's much slower, but Gonzalez has been producing of late, hitting well from both sides of the plate. 

As of right now, the biggest improvement that the Yankees could make with their position players is in left field. Joey Gallo has been dreadful and Aaron Hicks has slumped all year long. Wade isn't a primary outfielder, though. There are other options on the trade market if New York wanted to add an outfielder before next month's deadline.

The 40-man roster has some internal options that can play outfield as well. Miguel Andújar and Estevan Florial have been great in Triple-A and Tim Locastro is even quicker than Wade.

MORE:

• Why Luis Castillo to Yankees Trade Appears Unlikely
• Yankees Trade Manny Bañuelos to Pirates
• 'Rejuvenated' Matt Carpenter Continues to Produce Despite Limited Playing Time

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