Could the New York Yankees' backup plan at designated hitter with Giancarlo Stanton injured and absent from camp be resolved from outside the organization?
Despite Yankees manager Aaron Boone pointing to internal options Thursday afternoon, The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported later at night that New York has reached out to Mets free agent DH J.D. Martinez.
There’s been some contact with J.D. Martinez. But it might be hard to figure out how to bring him in as a stopgap player because there’s surely hope and expectation for Stanton to return.
Similar to ex-Mets general manager Zack Scott’s feeling about first base/DH Dominic Smith’s low chances to make the team as a non-roster invitee, Martinez could also be a difficult squeeze as a DH-only player, especially if the Yankees expect Stanton to return this season. Two DHs on one team? That would create a lineup nightmare for Boone.
Martinez played in 120 games (495 plate appearances) last season, putting up a .235/.320/.406 line (106 OPS+) with 16 home runs and 69 RBIs. Even though he’s 37 and last year was one of his least productive full seasons since 2012, he drew rave reviews from Mets hitters for the wisdom he shared.
Stanton is dealing with tennis elbows and he left the team for something “personal” last weekend.
As NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller reported Friday:
A lot of Stanton’s at-bats may go to Aaron Judge, who could move from right field to DH with Cody Bellinger switching from center to right and extra outfielder Trent Grisham coming off the bench to start in center.
“Trent could figure in there a lot,” Boone said.
Two other candidates that Boone named for potential DH at-bats are left-handed hitters with little or no major-league experience, second-year first baseman/catcher Ben Rice and rookie catcher J.C. Escarra.
“Rice and Escarra come into play with different catcher scenarios, different DH scenarios,” Boone said. “We’ll see.”
Boone acknowledged that it’s possible that both Rice and Escarra will be on the Opening Day 26-man roster. That would give the Yankees two reserve catcher options behind starter Austin Wells.
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