The Yankees introduced this afternoon that they’ve acquired infielder J.D. Davis and money issues from the A’s in trade infielder Jordan Groshans. Davis had been designated for task by the A’s earlier this week. The Yankees transferred right-hander Nick Burdi to the 60-day injured record with the intention to make room for Davis on the 40-man roster.
Davis, 31, signed with the A’s in late spring after the Giants launched Davis throughout Spring Coaching with the intention to get out from underneath many of the $6.9MM wage he had been awarded in arbitration over the winter. He managed to safe a assure of simply $2.5MM from Oakland, a far cry from his previously-awarded arbitration wage even after factoring within the roughly $1.1MM in termination pay he acquired from San Francisco.
After that late spring controversy, Davis went on to seem in 39 video games with the A’s the place he slashed a roughly league-average .236/.304/.366 in 135 journeys to the plate whereas splitting time between first base, third base, and DH. Whereas his offensive numbers this yr go away one thing to be desired, Davis’s positional versatility and monitor report as an above-average hitter make him an ideal match for the Yankees’ present wants.
The membership misplaced beginning DH Giancarlo Stanton to the injured record earlier as we speak, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo was additionally positioned on the shelf not way back on account of a fractured forearm. Rookie Ben Rice has scuffled a bit in his first few video games changing Rizzo at first base, whereas the membership has no apparent various to Stanton as an on a regular basis DH in-house. Even at third base, the place the membership is at present counting on the mixture of Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu, New York has gotten a wRC+ of simply 78 — this ranks second-worst of all AL third-base items, forward of solely the White Sox.
Enter Davis, who entered the 2024 season with 5 consecutive seasons of stable manufacturing with the Mets and Giants. Because the begin of the 2019 season, Davis has slashed a stable .265/.349/.438 with a wRC+ of 118. Whereas he’s struck out a 27.1% clip throughout that point, he’s walked at a wholesome 10% price whereas flashing 20-homer energy. That kind of manufacturing could be a serious improve for a Yankees membership that has usually struggled to provide offense outdoors of the outfield this yr even earlier than dropping Stanton for at the least the short-term. Davis appears more likely to slide into the on a regular basis DH function for the Yankees whereas Stanton is unavailable, however might additionally spell Rice at first base towards left-handed pitching and even contribute at third alongside LeMahieu and Cabrera.
On days the place Davis is taking part in the infield, the Yankees might supply Aaron Decide or Juan Soto the chance to get a half-day of relaxation as a DH and enhance the membership’s outfield protection by inserting glove-first middle fielder Trent Grisham into the combination. When Stanton ultimately returns to reclaim common DH, the Yankees might decide and select from Davis, Rice, Cabrera, and LeMahieu primarily based on how everyone seems to be performingt. That being mentioned, if Davis may even preserve his manufacturing as an Athletic within the Bronx he ought to be a shoe-in for at the least semi-regular taking part in time across the Yankees infield even after Stanton’s eventual return.
In trade for Davis’ providers, the Yankees are sending Groshans to Oakland. The 24-year-old’s stint within the Yankees group was a comparatively transient one, because the membership claimed him off waivers from the Marlins again in February. He was outrighted off their 40-man roster in early March and has struggled so far within the 2024 season with a .232/.310/.281 slash line whereas taking part in all 4 infield spots in 50 video games cut up between the Double- and Triple-A ranges. That follows a equally tough efficiency at Triple-A with Miami final yr; in 528 plate appearances throughout 125 video games in 2023, Groshans slashed a paltry .244/.339/.330 with simply six house runs.
Regardless of Groshan’s struggled over the previous two seasons, it’s not exhausting to see why the A’s could be keen to offer the teen a shot. In spite of everything, the infielder was the twelfth general decide within the 2018 draft by the Blue Jays and acquired loads of prime prospect buzz earlier in his profession, together with a stint as a consensus top-50 prospect within the sport again in 2021. That pedigree mixed with Groshans’ stronger numbers on the Double-A stage earlier in his profession present some motive for optimism that the teen might contribute on the huge league stage sooner or later.
That chance is definitely a gorgeous one for an Oakland membership that has struggled to discover a constant choice at third base this yr whereas biking between Davis, Abraham Toro, and Tyler Nevin on the place. Toro will likely be out till at the least the All-Star break recovering from a hamstring pressure, leaving much more alternative for Groshans to win some taking part in time on the scorching nook.
