Headlines

  • Royals Release Hunter Dozier
  • Yankees Release Aaron Hicks
  • Brewers Sign Julio Teheran To Major League Deal
  • Red Sox Move Corey Kluber To Bullpen
  • Athletics Reach Tentative Stadium Funding Deal With Nevada Lawmakers
  • NPB Watch: May Edition
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Latest On Yankees’ First Base Situation

By Mark Polishuk | May 30, 2021 at 10:55pm CDT

Luke Voit was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a Grade 2 oblique strain, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The New York Post’s Dan Martin) today that Voit will miss “at least a few weeks” of action.

Between knee surgery and now this oblique strain, Voit has played in only 12 games this season, hitting .182/.280/.250 over 50 plate appearances.  It has been a marked step down for a player who had been crushing the ball basically since the moment he came to New York in a trade with the Cardinals in July 2018, with Voit even leading the majors in home runs in 2020.

Voit’s absence (and lack of production when he has played) has been one of the many reasons why the Yankees have struggled to score runs, with just about every regular on the team is having a subpar year at the plate.  First base, in particular, has been a problem area — Yankees first basemen have combined for an 82 wRC+, the fifth-worst mark of any team in baseball at the position.  Besides Voit and the now-retired Jay Bruce, DJ LeMahieu, Mike Ford, and Miguel Andujar have all seen time at first base, and while LeMahieu is seemingly the best option on paper, his services have also been required at both second base and third base this season.

Since Voit may not be available until late June at the earliest, it opens the door for another option, such as minor league slugger Chris Gittens.  A 12th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2014 draft, the 27-year-old Gittens isn’t considered a top-30 Yankees prospect by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, and he had never played even at Triple-A until this season.

Gittens is something of a throwback player, a classic slugging first base/DH type with a lot of power (.476 slugging percentage, 75 homers) and a lot of swing-and miss (473 strikeouts) over his 1709 career PA in the minors.  That includes a red-hot performance at Triple-A, with a .268/.464/.634 slash line and four homers over 56 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“He’s swinging the bat really well to start the season,’’ Boone said, adding that Gittens is “very much on our radar” given his Triple-A production.

Gittens isn’t on the 40-man roster, and the Yankees don’t yet have a 40-man spot available since a decision hasn’t yet been made about Corey Kluber’s health situation.  Kluber will miss at least eight weeks recovering from a strain in his rotator cuff, so a shift to the 60-day IL could be inevitable, and such a transaction would free up a 40-man spot for Gittens or perhaps another player.  Martin suggests that the Yankees might also consider veterans who can opt out of their minor league contracts on June 1.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

New York Yankees Chris Gittens Luke Voit

Pirates Injury Notes: Kuhl, Hayes, Moran, Evans, Swaggerty
Main
MLB Planning To Reinstitute Pitcher Limit On Active Rosters In 2022
View Comments (54)

Comments

  1. Al Hirschen

    2 years ago

    Put Sanchez at first base

    Reply
    • CravenMoorehead

      2 years ago

      In Scranton

      Reply
      • nitemare

        2 years ago

        Unemployment

        Reply
    • Ronk325

      2 years ago

      The mere thought of Sanchez having to put in effort to pick a bad throw to first should be enough for you to realize that’s a bad idea

      Reply
    • MZ311

      2 years ago

      That would be a worse decision than giving Hicks 7 years.

      Reply
  2. CravenMoorehead

    2 years ago

    Yankees Gittens desperate

    Reply
  3. Dingus

    2 years ago

    Way too many injuries. Guys gotta toughen up.

    Reply
    • WarkMohlers

      2 years ago

      Medical Trainer Dingus reporting for duty.

      Reply
    • Col_chestbridge

      2 years ago

      This is a good bit, posting dumb comments with that user name. Continue your trolling

      Reply
    • DockEllisDee

      2 years ago

      Now Dingus I can get into

      Reply
      • SalaryCapMyth

        2 years ago

        Wait..what do you want to do with dingus now? We have children on this site, sir!!! >=}}

        Reply
  4. pasha2k

    2 years ago

    Can’t say I feel sorry for them, but I never wanna wish poor health on anyone. I’m glad Kluber signed in NY, Boston avoided that bullet.

    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      2 years ago

      I mentioned this in another thread but any big market contender would’ve gladly paid $11M for 10 very solid starts which is what Kluber gave. Any other positive contribution he can provide this season is just gravy on top. He’s already provided 0.9 fWAR and when you consider $/fWAR, the deal isn’t close to being terrible.

      Reply
      • Mr. Person

        2 years ago

        Come on, man.

        Fangraphs puts his dollar value at $7.3M, and now the team is missing a key part of the rotation as they’re about to face their top two rivals in the division.

        If they survive the two months (or more) that he’s out without falling out of contention, and he comes back in time to contribute significantly, then arguably it wasn’t a failed gamble. But to say “Any other positive contribution he can provide this season is just gravy on top” is kind of like saying the used car you bought to drive from New York to California wasn’t a bad deal when the engine blew in Indiana. The rotation is substantially weakened with two thirds of the season in front of us.

        Reply
        • YankeesBleacherCreature

          2 years ago

          @Mr. Person Except that hey bought a used car expecting it to break down. Does a healthy, low-risk Kluber only command $11M with zero incentives in free agency? Never said 1.0 fWAR equals $11M.

      • 1984wasntamanual

        2 years ago

        And it’s still wrong in this thread; it is not $11m/WAR. I will agree with you that it can by no means be considered terrible, however.

        Reply
      • BobGibsonFan

        2 years ago

        10 very solid starts? 3 were considered quality starts… 4 he lasted into the 6th inning.

        2 very solid starts is worth $11 mil?

        An 8 inning 2 hitter and a no hitter is my definition of very solid starts. You consider a 2 and 3 inning start very solid? I guess it depends on the definition of “very solid start”

        Reply
        • RemovePitcherWinsFromTheRecordBooks

          2 years ago

          LOL

      • BadBenjamin

        2 years ago

        lolyanks

        Reply
  5. slide

    2 years ago

    matt carpenter is available

    Reply
  6. Rsox

    2 years ago

    Garrett Cooper back in the Bronx?

    Reply
  7. josebatflip

    2 years ago

    I don’t follow the Yankees closely enough but shouldn’t they give Ford a real chance? He was excellent a couple years ago.

    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      2 years ago

      Ford was good in his debut year in 19 but I don’t think the Yankees think too highly of him. The issue is burning another spot in the 40-man when Kluber returns. I have the feeling they’re going to let Gittens season in AAA. Ford is going play plenty now.

      Reply
    • karldanger

      2 years ago

      They have and he has not done much since then

      Reply
    • toomuchpie

      2 years ago

      They’ve given him a chance and outside of two months in ‘19, he’s done nothing.

      Reply
  8. josebatflip

    2 years ago

    Test

    Reply
  9. Perksy

    2 years ago

    Voit will be back. I think the bigger problem for the Yanks is the lack of OF production.

    Reply
  10. uvmfiji

    2 years ago

    Bird

    Reply
  11. Down with OBP

    2 years ago

    I wonder if it’s a throwback player if more players are striking out more while selling out for power

    Reply
    • DarkSide830

      2 years ago

      Reggie Jackson throwback?

      Reply
      • WarkMohlers

        2 years ago

        Reggie and the Full Effect

        Reply
        • GreentownRoyal

          2 years ago

          Can Luke Stanton trade gloves?

        • emac22

          2 years ago

          You mean a first basemans mitt for driving gloves?

  12. Baseball 1600

    2 years ago

    Trade for Brandon Belt when he’s healthy. Give us an RP

    Reply
    • champion1701

      2 years ago

      You can have him. Please send back a decent BP arm.

      Reply
      • Baseball 1600

        2 years ago

        I’m a giants fan lol. Suggested this because Belt hits 1 fly ball per game at Oracle that would be an HR at Yankee Stadium.

        Reply
  13. BeforeMcCourt

    2 years ago

    Throw back player? Big power and big Ks sounds like 2/3 of the current league

    Reply
  14. whyhayzee

    2 years ago

    Gittens is something of a throwback player, a classic slugging first base/DH type with a lot of power (.476 slugging percentage, 75 homers) and a lot of swing-and miss (473 strikeouts) over his 1709 career PA in the minors. That includes a red-hot performance at Triple-A, with a .268/.464/.634 slash line and four homers over 56 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

    Maybe kind of like Bobby Dalbec? Bobby came out of the shoot looking great. but this is the major leagues. He’s still a work in progress. There are no guarantees with these guys. It’s probably worth a shot if they want to use an actual first baseman (instead of Who).

    Reply
    • Joe Says....

      2 years ago

      The DH narrative makes no sense and I don’t know where he got that from. From all accounts, Gittens is a plus defender at first.
      He strikes out a lot so he’ll fit right in.

      Reply
    • dennyd

      2 years ago

      “. . . use an actual first baseman (instead of Who)”. Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey platoon at First? Can’t be any worse.

      Reply
      • For Love of the Game

        2 years ago

        They’re like 80 years old and come from a country where baseball isn’t played, but it would be entertaining. They could also sing the national anthem!

        Reply
      • whyhayzee

        2 years ago

        I don’t know.

        Third base!

        Reply
    • trout27

      2 years ago

      It is Chute not shoot. Just trying to help.

      Reply
  15. WereAllJustGuestsHere

    2 years ago

    Stanton should be taking ground balls at first. He will be injured anyway. Yanks have nothing to lose trying this option.

    Reply
  16. Tiger_diesel92

    2 years ago

    The problem with the Yankees offense is they have no speed in their lineup, they are like majority of baseball teams playing for the long ball to score runs, they lack contact hitters to string up hits and the defense is sloppy. The only thing that keeps them in pace is their pitching always been like that.

    Reply
    • StudWinfield

      2 years ago

      The Yanks problem on offense is too many ground balls. If they could hit doubles with the frequency of BOS and TB they’d be fine even with the injuries and absolutely putrid base running.

      Reply
  17. StudWinfield

    2 years ago

    I suspect we’ll see some movement starting June 1 with minor opt outs kicking in, including Deshields. My guess is Deshields sins, Gittens is added to the MLB roster. Ford and Cortes and DFA’d. That’s short term. Long term could be Peralta and Caleb Smith from Arizona.

    Reply
  18. OhDear

    2 years ago

    Hahah does Greg Bird have an opt out?

    Reply
  19. nitemare

    2 years ago

    Since he was not rated a top prospect means he will succeed

    Reply
  20. Angels & NL West

    2 years ago

    Pujols will be an inexpensive option once the Dodgers get healthy and release him. I personally don’t recommend it, but desperate times…

    Reply
  21. emac22

    2 years ago

    I think Gittens will do well though Andujar would probably be my choice….I guess DJ would be if we had a good enough 2nd baseman, though Andujar in left probably costs you the gain in defense at 1st you get from DJ.

    Gittens has looked good for a few years now.

    Reply
  22. ahh

    2 years ago

    They should give the Rockies a decent prospect in return for CJ Cron. Or Matt Adams if they’d prefer.

    Reply
  23. Deckard

    2 years ago

    Understanding that trades between division rivals are rare, here is a crazy scenario:
    With Vlad Jr now the full-time first baseman, the Blue Jays are slowly reducing the playing time of Rowdy Tellez to the point where he is basically a bench player. If Springer ever plays for this team I suspect he will DH much more upon his return which means that a player like Davis is more valuable to the team than Tellez. In short, there is no real future for Tellez in Toronto so a trade to New York for a couple of low minor league arms is logical for both clubs.

    Reply
  24. GarryHarris

    2 years ago

    Cris Gittens should’ve won the NYY 1B job out of Spring Training. He was by far better than Bruce and Voit.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Royals Release Hunter Dozier

    Yankees Release Aaron Hicks

    Brewers Sign Julio Teheran To Major League Deal

    Red Sox Move Corey Kluber To Bullpen

    Athletics Reach Tentative Stadium Funding Deal With Nevada Lawmakers

    NPB Watch: May Edition

    Yankees Designate Aaron Hicks For Assignment

    Cubs Designate Eric Hosmer For Assignment

    Mets Select Gary Sanchez, Place Tim Locastro On 60-Day IL

    Astros To Activate Jose Altuve

    Rays Recall Taj Bradley, Plan To Keep Him In Rotation

    Kumar Rocker To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Anibal Sanchez Announces Retirement

    Willson Contreras To Return To Catching Duties On Monday

    Rockies Place Antonio Senzatela On 15-Day IL Due To Elbow Sprain

    Cubs, Marcus Stroman Had Preliminary Extension Talks

    Drew Rasmussen Shut Down For Two Months With Flexor Strain

    Tyler Mahle To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Marlins To Promote Eury Pérez

    Max Fried Facing Notable Absence Due To Forearm Strain

    Recent

    MLBTR Live Chat

    Quick Hits: Stroman, Maeda, Orioles, Barreto

    Rays Select Joe LaSorsa

    Chad Pinder To Retire

    Quick Hits: Castro, Kiermaier, Velasquez, Duvall, Chang

    NL East Notes: Soroka, Sanchez, Garcia, Rogers, Phillies, Doolittle

    NL West Notes: Garcia, Padres, Feltner, Dodgers, May

    Andrew McCutchen Plans To Play In 2024, Wants To Remain With Pirates

    Royals Notes: Lynch, Yarbrough, Hosmer, Pasquantino

    Royals Release Hunter Dozier

    ad: 300x250_5_side_mlb

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Shohei Ohtani Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version