His time on the New York Yankees’ 40-man roster did not last very long. On Wednesday, the Yankees officially announced the signing of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and designated outfielder Oscar Gonzalez for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
The Yankees claimed Gonzalez off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians back in December.
Gonzalez, 26, had a strong rookie season with Cleveland in 2022, where he slashed .296/.327/.461 with a 125 wRC+ and 11 home runs in 382 plate appearances. He also hit a walk-off homer in Game 2 of the Wild Card series. However, he regressed significantly in 2023, where he saw his strikeout rate increase and walk rate increase. He spent the majority of the season in Triple-A, where he slashed .287/.323/.496 with a wRC+ of 98.
Gonzalez is a poor defender and doesn’t steal a lot of bases. While there is some upside with his bat, he struggles with plate discipline, which is shown through his chase rate, strikeout rate and walk rate. Gonzalez is still young and has options, so the Yankees will likely keep him in Triple-A as a depth piece. The Yankees’ outfield is currently crowded with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham. They will also have Jasson Dominguez returning from Tommy John surgery at some point this summer. The Yankees will now have a week to either trade Gonzalez or pass him through waivers. If he clears waivers then he will remain with the Yankees as a non-roster depth piece.
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