The New York Yankees activated OF Harrison Bader from the injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians, per MLB.com. INF/OF Franchy Cordero was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The Bader move comes one day after Aaron Judge was placed on the IL.

It was reported on Monday that Bader could be activated within the next couple of days. Sure enough, New York made the decision on Tuesday.

Bader obviously will not replace Judge's production. Aaron Judge is the reigning AL MVP after all, but this move will help the Yankees. Harrison Bader is a strong defender who's had his moments at the plate over the years. He won the Gold Glove in 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals, and will add a crucial element of reliable defense in New York's outfield.

Offensively, Bader slashed just .217/.245/.283 with a .528 in 14 games for the Yankees during the 2022 regular season. However, he was coming off an injury and was playing for a new team for the first time in his big league career after being traded from the Cardinals. One would imagine that he will feel more comfortable in 2023, which could lead to better all-around results for the speedy outfielder.

The Yankees were defeated by the Guardians at Yankee Stadium on Monday night following a puzzling late-game pitching decision by New York. Despite now holding a 15-15 record, the Yankees are currently in last place in the difficult-to-navigate AL East division. New York will try to rebound against Cleveland on Tuesday evening.