The New York Yankees won their sixth game in a row on Wednesday, rallying from five down to top the Los Angeles Angels. Afterward, the injury-ravaged Yankees placed outfielder Clint Frazier on the injured list due to a bum ankle -- because the only thing these Yankees seem to do more than win games as of late is lose key players to the shelf.
Frazier joins 12 other Yankees on the mend, including four other outfielders: Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Predictably, the Yankees spent Thursday looking for outfield help. What they found was a 12-year vet, as New York shipped cash to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Cameron Maybin, who had been in Triple-A:
The Yankees have acquired OF Cameron Maybin from Cleveland for cash considerations. He was signed to a Major League contract and selected to the 25-man roster. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Luis Severino was transferred to the 60-day IL.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 25, 2019
Maybin will join the Yankees' 25-man roster out of necessity as much as anything. As it stands, Aaron Boone will assemble an outfield from a group that features Maybin, Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and Tyler Wade. Remember when the Yankees had too many outfielders?
Anyway, don't expect Maybin to be a difference maker. He has a 97 OPS+ over his last three seasons, but that number is propped up by an uncharacteristically productive 2016. Limit the scope to the last two seasons and that number drops to 87. Maybin hadn't performed in 14 Triple-A games this season, either, batting .216/.388/.275.
Still, Maybin is a warm body who came cheaply -- and, more importantly, he's the ninth option for the Yankees outfield. And once you get to that point, there is no such thing as a good plan.
