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Brandon Drury

Blue Jays Select Jon Berti

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The Blue Jays announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Jon Berti. To create a 40-man spot, fellow utilityman Brandon Drury was shifted to the 60-day DL.

Berti, 28, will make his MLB debut after wrapping up his eighth minor-league campaign. He has spent all of those with the Blue Jays, excepting a portion early this year when he was traded to, then re-acquired from, the Indians.

Though he once earned an Arizona Fall League placement, and performed rather well there, Berti hasn’t generally shown much with the bat in the upper minors. This season, however, he posted strong numbers during his 72 games at Double-A. Through 316 plate appearances, he put up a .314/.399/.498 batting line with eight home runs and 21 steals. Berti has swiped 265 bags during his time in the minors.

Brandon Drury Diagnosed With Fractured Hand

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Blue Jays infielder Brandon Drury has been diagnosed with a fractured left hand, the club announced. He’s heading to the 10-day disabled list, with infielder Richard Urena coming up to take his spot on the active roster.

Drury, who’s closing in on his 26th birthday, has struggled at the plate to open his tenure in Toronto. He came over with Billy McKinney from the division-rival Yankees in a late-July deal that sent J.A. Happ to New York.

The anticipated timeline isn’t yet known, but it seems reasonable to anticipate that Drury will be out for most or all of the remainder of the season. While that’s not necessarily of significant impact to a Blue Jays club who’ve already sold off assets and raised the white flag on the 2018 season, it certainly adds another moral blow to a frustrating season for the former 13th-rounder. Following back-to-back solid (if unspectacular) seasons with the Diamondbacks, Drury looked to have carved out a place on the club’s major league roster for years to come.

Things took an unexpected turn, though, as Drury was shipped to the Yankees in the offseason as part of the three-team trade that sent Steven Souza Jr. to the Diamondbacks. He figured to serve as a stopgap in the Yankees’ infield that would reduce the urgency to promote Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, but blurred vision and migraines caused him to hit the DL in April, and Drury was optioned to Triple-A when he became healthy. From that point on, Drury was never truly able to get going, as evidenced by his .169/.256/.260 batting line across 86 plate appearances with the Yankees and Blue Jays.

The addition of Drury to the disabled list will thin out Toronto’s infield depth, leaving the uninspiring (and strikeout-prone) Urena as the club’s lone option to back up Yangervis Solarte, Aledmys Diaz and Devon Travis. The club has given no indication that they might add third base superprospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the major league roster any time soon.

 

Yankees Acquire J.A. Happ For Brandon Drury, Billy McKinney

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The Yankees have completed their second intra-division swap of the week, officially acquiring left-hander J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays in exchange for infielder Brandon Drury and outfield prospect Billy McKinney. Both teams have announced the swap.

J.A. Happ | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Happ, 35, is in the final season of a three-year, $36MM contract and is still owed $4.75MM of that sum through the end of the season. He’ll step into a Yankees rotation that currently features Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Sonny Gray. Since losing sophomore lefty Jordan Montgomery to Tommy John surgery, the Yankees have tried Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga and Luis Cessa in that fifth spot, but Happ will now provide a more experienced arm to step into that void.

While he struggled badly in a pair of early July starts (one against the Yankees) that inflated his season-long numbers, Happ has enjoyed a strong season overall. Through 114 1/3 frames, he’s registered a 4.18 ERA with more impressive marks in FIP (3.84), xFIP (3.63) and SIERA (3.51). Happ has averaged a career-high 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched against just 2.8 walks per nine, and he’s kept the ball on the ground at a 44.6 percent clip. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the year, making him the Yankees’ second short-term addition of the week after landing Zach Britton in yet another intra-division trade.

The Blue Jays are surely thrilled to be able to pick up a controllable MLB asset in the form of Drury in exchange for a player who was set to depart via free agency at the end of the year anyhow. Drury was the Yankees’ Opening Day third baseman, but he quickly became an odd man out in the Bronx after both Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres emerged in the Majors while Drury was on the DL due to severe migraines and blurred vision.

Brandon Drury | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

While Drury, 25, has batted just .176/.263/.275 in 57 plate appearances with the Yankees in 2018, he’d previously established himself as a solid producer with the Diamondbacks from 2016-17. In that time, Drury batted a combined .273/.323/.453 with 29 homers, 68 doubles and three triples over the life of 979 PAs. He’s capable of handling both second base and third base, so with Josh Donaldson set to hit free agency this winter plus Devon Travis’ perennial injury troubles, Drury is all the more appealing to the Toronto organization. The Jays can control Drury through the 2021 season.

The inclusion of McKinney in the deal will somewhat incredibly mark the third trade since being selected in the first round (No. 24 overall) of the 2013 draft. The A’s selected McKinney out Plano West Senior High School and traded him just over a year later in the deal that sent Addison Russell to the Cubs in exchange for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. McKinney was moved once again in 2016 when the Cubs included him as part of the four-player package that netted them Aroldis Chapman (with the aforementioned Torres as the deal’s headliner).

McKinney, 23, made his MLB debut earlier this season and went 1-for-4 before being sent back down to the minors after appearing in two games. He’s hit for plenty of power in Triple-A this season (.273 ISO), but he’s also struggled to get on base. Through 228 PAs, he’s slashing .230/.294/.502 with 13 homers, eight doubles and five triples. McKinney isn’t regarded as the top-tier prospect he once was, but he entered the season ranked as the Yankees’ No. 20 prospect by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, receiving average grades for his power, speed and glove. He played center early on in his career but has been utilized more in the outfield corners recently.

Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported that an agreement was in place (via Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links) and Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter link) had previously indicated that a deal was nearing its completion. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that both Drury and McKinney were in the deal (Twitter link), and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted that the swap had become official shortly before the clubs announced the deal.

Yankees Nearing Deal For J.A. Happ

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There was quite a lot of chatter yesterday surrounding Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ, with a run of rumors that certainly suggests negotiations are building toward a conclusion. The Toronto organization has seemingly decided it’d rather move Happ now than let him take the ball this weekend, and Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets that the team is sending that message to interested rivals.

We’ll use this post to track today’s developments on the veteran southpaw, a pure rental player who’s earning $13MM this year:

  • The Yankees appear to be zeroing in on Happ. The club is said by Sherman (Twitter links) to be “getting closer” to a deal structured around Drury. Jon Heyman of Fancred has it even closer to the finish line, tweeting that the Yanks and Jays are working to finalize a swap.

Earlier Updates

  • As of this morning, it seems there are still multiple organizations in the mix. Largely reflecting the state of play last night, as reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggests on Twitter that the Brewers and Yankees are still the two likeliest landing spots, with the Cubs also still “in the mix.”
  • Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that, as Sherman also previously suggested, infielder Brandon Drury has arisen in talks between the division-rival Jays and Yanks. That “could lead to [an] expanded deal,” Rosenthal notes, with the Yankees perhaps also eyeing some catching depth. New York GM Brian Cashman said yesterday that he’s open to bolstering his group of receivers with Gary Sanchez on the shelf. The phrasing of the report doesn’t really appear to suggest that high-priced veteran (and former Yankee) Russell Martin is a target. The more obvious candidate seems to be reserve Luke Maile, who has been a solid performer this year in Toronto, though there’s no direct reporting to establish any particular connection.

Blue Jays “Appear Close” To Striking J.A. Happ Swap

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10:18PM: “The industry belief” is that the Yankees and Brewers are the front-runners for Happ, Sherman writes.  The Cubs still “might be in play,” though Chicago also asked the Jays about Marcus Stroman.  In another tweet, Sherman mentions that the Blue Jays like Yankees infielder Brandon Drury.

9:33PM: The Yankees still look like the favorite for Happ right now, with Feinsand calling them “the leader” of the teams in pursuit, and SNYTV’s Andy Martino saying the Bombers are “in strong position.”  A trade may not be imminent, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that a deal is “unlikely” to take place tonight.  (All links to Twitter.)  Both Feinsand and Martino list the Cubs and Brewers still being involved, with Martino adding the Rockies as a new team to the Happ rumor mill.  Feinsand feels the number of teams in on Happ will result in a nice trade return for the Blue Jays.

9:10PM: There are conflicting reports about the Yankees’ involvement in the trade, as Steve Phillips of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that the Jays are “focusing on finalizing” the Happ deal with New York.  Fancred’s Jon Heyman, however, reports that other teams are still in the running, and the Yankees “seem unaware they are getting [Happ], as of this moment.”

3:46PM: The Yankees are “heavy in the mix” for Happ, Feinsand tweets, with other teams (such as the Brewers) still possibly being in play.  The Cubs are one of the other teams involved, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

3:39PM: As the Blue Jays and Twins began action at 3:07pm CT today, Happ hadn’t heard about a trade, Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets.  Happ is in Toronto’s dugout, Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and others have reported.

2:54PM: The Blue Jays “appear close” to striking a deal to send lefty J.A. Happ to a contender, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Particulars of the potential match are entirely unknown, though certainly a variety of contenders make sense generally as destinations for the veteran starter.

Happ has mostly been a quality performer for the past several seasons. He currently sits at a 4.18 ERA on the present season, with peripherals suggesting he has been even more effective than the results would suggest. Though Happ endured a few rough outings recently, he racked up nine strikeouts and allowed just one earned run over five innings in his last start.

As a pending free agent on a struggling Toronto team, it has long seemed clear he’d be dealt this summer. Happ ranked sixth among trade deadline candidates on MLBTR’s recent list.

Last we heard, the Jays were said to be lowering their asking price on Happ as the deadline draws near. The Yankees, Phillies, and Cubs have been linked to him in recent weeks, though it’s not at all clear whether any of those teams is pressing to land the southpaw today.

Passan’s Latest: Mets, deGrom, Rays, Ervin, Drury, Choo, Healy

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Yahoo’s Jeff Passan has a landslide of trade chatter in his latest “10 Degrees” column, but he first kicks off with a look at what he terms “new depths of dysfunction” among the Mets’ front office and ownership. Passan echoes previous reports which have suggested that COO Jeff Wilpon is as caught up with whether the cross-town Yankees win or lose as he is with his own team’s success, and he also explores the startling lack of organizational communication that became increasingly apparent with this weekend’s Yoenis Cespedes debacle.

Passan also notes that a GM from another team and another exec from a second team have both wondered to him whether Wilpon is so concerned with the public perception of his team that he’d push for a trade of Jacob deGrom in an effort to engender some positive P.R. among a fanbase that has clamored for a rebuild. Most still expect the Mets to hang onto both deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, he adds, but even the notion that some teams feel Mets ownership could plausibly be leveraged or taken advantage of in that manner has to be unsettling for Mets fans.

Some more highlights from a column that anyone who follows the trade market should check out in its entirety…

  • The Rays aren’t planning to operate as a strict buyer or seller over the next eight days, Passan writes. Tampa Bay is marketing rental pieces like right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and injured catcher Wilson Ramos to other clubs but is also willing to part with prospects to acquire affordable, controllable pieces that can be retained for years to come. Passan spoke to someone familiar with the Rays’ talks surrounding Chris Archer who said he’d be “completely stunned” if Archer were actually traded this summer given the three reasonably priced years of control he has remaining on his contract.
  • While Ervin Santana hasn’t pitched in the Majors this season after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his right middle finger this February, scouts are planning to closely watch the Twins right-hander’s 2018 debut this week, Passan notes. Santana likely only has enough time to make a pair of starts before the non-waiver deadline, and that may or may not be enough to convince a team of his ability to help down the stretch. But he’s also owed the balance of a $14MM salary this season — about $5.2MM through season’s end — which could allow him to clear waivers in early August and emerge as a trade candidate next month.
  • The Yankees have been tied to multiple rentals this summer, but they’ve also been inquiring on controllable relief arms and, in some cases, showing a willingness to include Brandon Drury in those trade talks. Drury was added as a depth piece late in the offseason and opened the year as the Yankees’ third baseman, but the near-immediate success of Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar made him relatively superfluous in the season’s early stages. Drury has appeared in just 16 games for the Yankees this season despite the fact that he’d established himself as a solid contributor at the big league level over the past two years with the Diamondbacks.
  • The Rangers are willing to pay down a “significant” portion of Shin-Soo Choo’s remaining contract — he’s still guaranteed about $7.4MM through the end of 2018 plus $21MM in each of the next two seasons — but his lack of defensive value is a roadblock to a deal. Choo fits best on an AL club where he can serve as a designated hitter, but there’s no American League contender with much of an opening, and teams in both leagues would likely be reluctant to use him in the outfield.
  • A bit more surprisingly, Passan reports that the Royals are “poking around” on Mariners first baseman Ryon Healy in case he’s deemed redundant once Robinson Cano returns from his 80-game suspension. The Mariners have already expressed a desire to keep Dee Gordon at second base, which could push Cano to first base once he returns. That’d take away at-bats from Healy, who is showing impressive power but dismal on-base skills, with a .244/.274/.466 and 20 homers through 325 plate appearances. Healy is controlled through the 2022 season and won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season, so while the Royals are obviously a rebuilding club, he could be a long-term piece for them if they’re able to boost his on-base percentage to a passable level.

Cafardo’s Latest: Yanks, Drury, Gray, O’s, Jays, Donaldson, Hamels, Marlins, Straily

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Third baseman Brandon Drury was in the package the Yankees offered the Orioles for shortstop Manny Machado, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. The Yankees’ proposal didn’t suffice for the Orioles, who sent Machado to the Dodgers for a five-player return on Wednesday. Drury has also been part of a 2018 trade, an offseason deal in which he went from the Diamondbacks to the Yankees, but he hasn’t been able to find steady playing time in New York. After entering the season as the Yankees’ starting third baseman, the 25-year-old Drury headed to the disabled list with migraines in early April, paving the way for rookie Miguel Andujar’s emergence at the hot corner. While Drury also offers a fair amount of experience at second base and in the corner outfield, the Yankees have set starters in those spots.

Thanks largely to the presences of Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner, Drury has amassed just 54 plate appearances with the Yankees and spent most of the season in the minors. Drury hasn’t done much in his limited work with New York, as his .184/.259/.286 batting line demonstrates, but he has posted a .294/.403/.447 slash in 233 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s also not far removed from a decent showing with Arizona, where he batted .275/.323/.453 with 29 HRs in 979 PAs from 2016-17, and comes with a cheap salary ($621,900) and three years of arbitration eligibility. Perhaps the Yankees will find a taker for Drury in the near future, then, though they’re surely not in a hurry to give away any depth.

  • Sticking with the Yankees, Cafardo relays that teams are scouting right-hander Sonny Gray, and some clubs are under the impression New York wants to trade him. The Yankees paid a high price to the A’s for Gray at last year’s trade deadline, but the move hasn’t worked out as hoped for the Bombers. Gray has taken sizable steps backward this season, with a 5.34 ERA/4.42 FIP in 96 innings, and may not be worthy of trusting in a playoff series should the Yankees get to that point. The 28-year-old’s making $6.5MM in 2018 and is only controllable via arbitration for one more season.
  • The Blue Jays “hope” to trade pending free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson this summer, according to Cafardo. A superstar with Oakland and Toronto from 2013-16, Donaldson’s amid his second straight injury-plagued year and has only appeared in 36 games this season. Not only has Donaldson been on the DL twice (including since May 29 because of calf tightness), but he hasn’t offered his usual excellent production when healthy. The 32-year-old has hit a middling .234/.333/.423 in 159 plate appearances, helping to hurt his value on the trade market and hamper his future earning power. In the event Donaldson returns in the coming weeks, he could wind up as an August trade piece, though his injury problems, decline in production and lofty salary ($23MM) would make it difficult for Toronto to get much back in a deal.
  • It’s “likely” the Rangers will find a trade partner for left-hander Cole Hamels, writes Cafardo, who adds that the Phillies, Yankees and Braves undoubtedly have interest. The Red Sox may also be among teams with Hamels on their radar, per Cafardo. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak doesn’t seem keen on dipping into the trade market for starters, though, and it’s no lock Hamels would even be part of the solution for them or any other team. The 34-year-old’s struggles this season are well known, and his $22.5MM salary for 2018 and $6MM buyout for 2019 don’t help matters.
  • Marlins righty Dan Straily is drawing interest, per Cafardo. The 29-year-old’s not having a particularly good season (4.02 ERA/5.27 FIP with 7.24 K/9, 4.25 BB/9 and a 33.5 percent groundball rate over 78 1/3 innings), but he’s affordable and controllable. Straily’s on a $3.37MM salary this season and has another two years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

East Notes: Ramos, Phillies, Wade

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Here are the latest notes from the game’s eastern divisions:

  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times checks in on Rays catcher Wilson Ramos, writing that the veteran seems likely to be playing elsewhere within the next few weeks. The burly receiver acknowledges that change is likely coming, though he says his focus is on putting his head down and “trying to do my job.” Topkin notes that there’s at least an argument to be made for the Rays to consider an early deal for Ramos, as there are a few other catchers that could potentially change hands this summer. A deal seems possible at any time, though we haven’t really heard all that much to this point regarding interest in Ramos, who’s slashing a robust .291/.340/.468 with a dozen home runs through 285 plate appearances.
  • There are a pair of interesting subscription pieces in The Athletic regarding the rising Phillies. Matt Gelb examines the team’s approach to the deadline, explaining how the changing state of affairs in the NL East — particularly, the recent fall-off of the Nationals — will impact things in Philadelphia. With the Nats now needing to climb out of a significant hole, the opportunity for the Phils to take a division title could certainly increase the appeal of buy-side moves. As the article covers, third base and right field stand out as potential areas for improvement. The club could certainly always look into pitching improvements as well. Meanwhile, Meghan Montemurro documents the Phillies’ efforts to unearth talent in non-traditional countries. It’s all about maximizing limited available resources in the international realm, where the focus has long been on a few Latin American and Asian nations.
  • The Yankees will bring up Tyler Wade to take the roster spot created when Gleyber Torres hit the DL, Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets. Wade, 23, has struggled mightily in limited MLB action over the past two seasons. And he has not exactly knocked the cover off of the ball at Triple-A despite carrying good numbers there last year. As Curry notes (via Twitter), however, Wade has been much better in recent weeks. That said, the infielder likely won’t get much of a shot in his return to the majors, as Neil Walker figures to remain ahead of him on the depth chart at second base. Brandon Drury is also a potential option at second, though he has yet to play there in New York.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Moustakas, Merrifield, Duffy, Fulmer, Drury

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The Cardinals have “renewed interest” in Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports in his latest notes column (subscription required).  It isn’t clear how seriously interested St. Louis is, however, and Rosenthal notes that adding Moustakas would lead to a crowded infield situation.  Matt Carpenter would have to be moved to either second base or first base, displacing either the light-hitting but defensively brilliant Kolten Wong, or the hard-hitting Jose Martinez and his sub-par first base glove.  One option could be to flip Martinez for some immediate help in another area, Rosenthal suggests, listing the Twins as a potential suitor for Martinez — Minnesota, of course, is a fringe contender at best right now, but Martinez would be a long-term piece at first base and DH.  On the other hand, Martinez has been perhaps the Cardinals’ best hitter this season and he is controllable through the 2022 season.  This is just one of many scenarios that could play out involving these players, of course, as the Cards (like every front office in the game) is weighing dozens of potential scenarios as we approach the trade deadline.  St. Louis still seems to be in the planning stages, as Rosenthal writes that the Cards “have yet to engage seriously on any one player.”

Here are some more hot stove items from Rosenthal’s column…

  • The Brewers were interested in Royals second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield this past offseason and are once again inquiring on his services.  The late-blooming Merrifield has continued to establish himself as a solid everyday player this season, batting .284/.358/.401 over 339 PA, plus 16 steals in 20 chances.  Second base has been a problem spot for Milwaukee, and while the Brewers recently acquired Brad Miller as infield depth, Merrifield would represent a more solid upgrade at the keystone.  Though the Brewers could also need rotation help, Rosenthal reports that they haven’t discussed Danny Duffy as part of their talks with Kansas City.
  • Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer is drawing a lot of interest from not just contenders like the Phillies, Dodgers and Yankees, but also from rebuilding teams like the Padres.  Clearly Fulmer would be a fit for a lot of teams considering both his ability and his years of control; he isn’t arbitration-eligible until this winter, and he has four years of arbitration coming as a Super Two player.  Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman wrote earlier this week that it could be unlikely that Fulmer is actually dealt, as Detroit has naturally put a big price tag on the righty in trade talks.  San Diego is deep in prospects, however, so the Friars could be one of the few teams who wouldn’t immediately balk at the Tigers’ demands.
  • Brandon Drury’s return to the Yankees came with some service time implications, as Rosenthal notes that New York could have gained an extra year of control over the utilityman by keeping him in the minors until Sunday.  It’s possible Drury could still be demoted again at some point this season, and if so, he wouldn’t qualify for free agency until after the 2022 season.  This could potentially make Drury more valuable to other teams in trade talks, as the Yankees are deep in long-term infield options and might see Drury as expendable.

Yankees Recall Brandon Drury

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1:19pm: The Yankees have formally announced the move.

11:00am: The Yankees will recall infielder Brandon Drury from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Drury will fill the roster spot of Luis Cessa, who the team has already formally optioned to Triple-A.

It’s been a strange season for Drury, who was acquired in February to provide depth at both second base and third base for a Yankees team that eventually had those positions earmarked for top prospects Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Drury opened the season on the roster but quickly was placed on the disabled list due to severe migraines that were causing blurred vision.

By the time he was healthy enough to return to action, however, both Torres and Andujar were enjoying productive stretches at the big league level. Rather than activate Drury and utilize him in a utility role, the Yankees made the somewhat surprising decision to simply option Drury to Triple-A.

[Related: New York Yankees depth chart]

Drury was understandably frustrated to be spending time in the minors after having previously established himself as a solid big league contributor with the Diamondbacks, and his play in Scranton certainly showed that he was worthy of playing in the Majors. In 203 Triple-A plate appearances, Drury hit .314/.419/.488 with five homers, 13 doubles and a triple.

With Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade currently in Triple-A, Drury will join Neil Walker as a utility option who can bounce around to several positions. It’s possible that Drury could see some time at first base in the immediate future, as George A. King III of the New York Post writes. Given Greg Bird’s recent struggles and an injury to Tyler Austin in Triple-A, the right-handed-hitting Drury could be called upon with the Red Sox set to throw three consecutive lefties at the Yankees this weekend.

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