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A familiar face is back in the Bronx. The New York Yankees have acquired utilityman Tyler Wade in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The New York Yankees are acquiring utilityman Tyler Wade in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN.
The Angels DFA'd Wade earlier this month. And now he heads back to the team that drafted him and where he spent his first five seasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 14, 2022
The Angels had designated Tyler Wade for assignment, meaning he was removed from the active 40-man roster. The club then had seven days to trade or waive Wade- and they elected for the former, sending him back to the Yankees, the team that drafted him.
Wade will reportedly head to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre upon arriving in New York, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The versatile infielder/outfielder spent the first five seasons of his career in New York.
In 264 career games with the Yankees, Wade posted a .212 batting average, .605 OPS and stole 30 bases. His speed certainly adds another dimension to the New York lineup, though his value lies more in his versatility.
Wade is capable of playing each of the outfield spots, as well as second base, shortstop and third base. That will give the Yankees a positional edge as they head into the stretch run.
The former Angels speedster will be particularly valuable in getting Yankees stars Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and perhaps even Josh Donaldson added rest.
Each of those sluggers has spent more than their fair share of time on the injured list in their careers. Clearly, the Yankees are prioritizing depth as they continue to march on with baseball's best record.
It's certainly a smart investment by general manager Brian Cashman and company.
