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Ben Rortvedt

Yankees Could Look To Trade Kyle Higashioka, Ben Rortvedt

By Leo Morgenstern | October 26, 2023 at 4:40pm CDT

The Yankees were surely glad to have some catching depth when Jose Trevino needed season-ending wrist surgery just after the All-Star break. Kyle Higashioka took over the starting role, while Ben Rortvedt earned a call back to the majors to serve as the backup. When Rortvedt struggled to hit big league pitching, the team had more depth at Triple-A in the name of Austin Wells, who ended up earning the bulk of the starts behind the plate over the final month of the season.

With Trevino progressing well in his rehab, the Yankees are set to have four catchers competing for playing time next season. Trevino will likely return to his regular role, and Wells played ably enough to merit a spot on the Opening Day roster. That leaves Higashioka and Rortvedt on the outside looking in. Higashioka has been a capable backup in New York for several years, but he is a finished product and a known quantity. Rortvedt, meanwhile, will be 26 next season, and he hasn’t shown an ability to hit at the MLB level.

Therefore, it comes as little surprise that the Yankees could look to deal either or both of Higashioka and Rortvedt this offseason. According to Andy Martino of SNY, the team is “signaling” to other clubs that both catchers are available in a trade.

Higashioka is the longest-tenured player on the Yankees, having joined the organization in 2008 and played for the club in every MLB season since 2017. The 33-year-old has earned more regular playing time over the past two years, appearing in 175 games and starting 143 behind the dish. While his bat is below average, even for a catcher, his terrific defense makes up for his offensive shortcomings. The metrics from Baseball Savant, FanGraphs, and Baseball Prospectus all agree that he is an excellent pitch framer, saving several runs with his glove in each of the past three seasons.

The veteran is eligible for his final year of arbitration this winter and is projected to earn $2.3MM. That’s hardly more than a drop in the bucket for the Yankees, but still, they might try to trade him before the non-tender deadline, to avoid making a decision about tendering him a contract for next season. He would be a good fit for a team in search of a veteran stopgap to fill in behind the plate until a top prospect is ready to take his place. The White Sox, who have already expressed interest in trading for a veteran catcher (namely Salvador Perez), could be a match.

Rortvedt made his debut for the Yankees this past May, after coming over from the Twins last March as part of the deal that brought Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to New York in exchange for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela. While the Yankees intended for him to compete for playing time with Higashioka and Trevino, he spent the first four months of the 2022 season on the injured list before he was optioned to Triple-A without having played a game. The 2023 campaign marked his third and final option year, and thus, he cannot be sent to the minors next season without being designated for assignment and placed on outright waivers.

Like Higashioka, Rortvedt has demonstrated an aptitude for pitch framing, but unfortunately, his bat has been nonexistent at the big league level. In 171 plate appearances across 2021 and ’23, he has hit just .146 with seven extra-base knocks, good for a career 38 wRC+. The offensive bar is low for backup catchers, but he’ll need to hit more if he wants to stick around in the majors. He would fit in best as a backup on a rebuilding club that can afford to give him a chance to prove himself, despite his substandard offensive production so far. The Mets will need a backup catcher if they choose to move on from Omar Narváez, as will the Tigers if they don’t exercise their option on Carson Kelly.

Martino also mentions that trading Trevino or Wells isn’t off the table for the Yankees, although it’s much more likely they deal Higashioka or Rortvedt instead. Wells would net the most valuable return, while the team could move on from Trevino if they think Wells is ready for a full-time role.

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New York Yankees Austin Wells Ben Rortvedt Jose Trevino Kyle Higashioka

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Jose Trevino To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery

By Darragh McDonald | July 21, 2023 at 3:10pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they have placed catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 18, due to a right wrist tear. Fellow catcher Ben Rortvedt has been recalled in a corresponding move. Trevino tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter links) that he’s done for the season and will require surgery. He’s apparently had the issue since Spring Training and has been trying to fight through it. He expects to be ready for next year’s Spring Training, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Hoch also relays that the specific nature of the injury is a torn triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) ligament.

Trevino, 30, is having a poor season offensively, with the wrist issue perhaps explaining why. He hit .248/.283/.388 last year but has dipped to a line of .210/.257/.312 here in 2023, that latter line amounting to a wRC+ of 58. In terms of his glovework, he’s not on pace to match last year’s elite 21 Defensive Runs Saved, but he still has 6 DRS this year, putting him in the top 10 among all catchers in the league. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus give him strong marks for his framing, while Statcast considers him an above-average strong blocker.

Trevino may not be a star player but he’s a solid defensive option and was decent at the plate last year. Frustrating injury absences have been a key storyline for the Yanks this year. The most prominent example is Aaron Judge but they’ve also seen Harrison Bader, Carlos Rodón, Frankie Montas, Nestor Cortes, Josh Donaldson and many others miss time. That’s part of the reason why the club is having a disappointing summer, having slipped to 50-47 and four games back of a playoff spot.

The club may now have to make some difficult decisions about how aggressively to approach the deadline, which is on August 1. FanGraphs currently pegs their playoff odds at 28.3%, certainly not a hopeless situation but definitely a challenging one. Catching upgrades are generally tricky during a season, as a new backstop would have to learn the entire pitching staff on the fly. But if the Yanks want to add for a postseason push, it might be something to look into. They might have some competition within the division, as the Rays lost Francisco Mejía to a knee sprain earlier today.

For now, the Yanks will proceed with Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka, the only two other backstops on the 40-man roster. Rortvedt has dealt with his own injury issues in recent years, getting into just 48 minor league games last year and then 38 contests so far this year between the majors and minors.

In terms of non-roster depth, the club has promoted Austin Wells to Triple-A, per Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune. Wells was the Yankees’ first-round draft pick from 2020 and was recently ranked their #3 prospect by Baseball America. He had been hitting .237/.327/.443 in Double-A prior to the promotion.

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New York Yankees Transactions Austin Wells Ben Rortvedt Jose Trevino

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Yankees Place Harrison Bader On Injured List

By Anthony Franco | May 30, 2023 at 11:50pm CDT

11:50pm: Bader is expected to miss at least “a few weeks,” Boone said after tonight’s win over the Mariners (relayed by Chris Kirschner of the Athletic).

8:20pm: The Yankees placed center fielder Harrison Bader on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain before this evening’s game in Seattle. New York also optioned catcher Ben Rortvedt to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fellow backstop Jose Trevino has been activated from his own IL stint, while Franchy Cordero was recalled to take Bader’s spot in the outfield.

Bader’s IL placement comes as little surprise. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged it was a possibility this morning after Bader had left last night’s game. He underwent an MRI this morning. It’s not clear how significant the strain is or how long the Yankees expect him to be sidelined, but he’ll be out for at least a week and a half.

It’s the second time this year in which Bader has landed on the shelf. He missed the first month of the season with an oblique strain. Since returning, he’s been one of New York’s best players. Bader is hitting .267/.295/.511 with six homers and stolen bases apiece in 26 games. He’s paired that with characteristically excellent defense over his 205 1/3 innings of center field work. When healthy, Bader has shown the ability to be a very productive two-way outfielder. He’s unfortunately been no stranger to the IL, though, as he’s yet to surpass 427 MLB plate appearances in a season.

That combination of productivity but a checkered injury history will make Bader an interesting free agent case next winter. Alongside Cody Bellinger and the older Kevin Kiermaier, he’s slated to top the center field class. His market will obviously be determined in large part by how quickly he makes his return and his form down the stretch.

Aaron Judge got the bulk of the center field work last time Bader was on the shelf. Greg Allen, who wasn’t on the roster last month, is getting the nod there tonight. Judge is in right field with Isiah Kiner-Falefa manning left against Seattle righty Logan Gilbert.

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New York Yankees Ben Rortvedt Harrison Bader Jose Trevino

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Yankees Place Jose Trevino On IL With Hamstring Strain, Recall Ben Rortvedt

By Darragh McDonald | May 18, 2023 at 3:30pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they have placed catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Fellow backstop Ben Rortvedt has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

Trevino, 30, had spent the 2018-2021 seasons as a part-time catcher with the Rangers before the Yankees acquired him going into 2022. He already had a reputation as a glove-first backstop, tallying eight Defensive Runs Saved with Texas in 2021. He took that part of his game to new heights with the Yanks last year, accruing 21 DRS for the season, winning a Gold Glove and a Fielding Bible award. He also hit 11 home runs and slashed .248/.283/.388 for a wRC+ of 91.

He hasn’t quite been able to maintain that pace so far this year, as he’s hitting just .219/.265/.333 and his defense has been around league average. Nonetheless, it’s a frustrating development for the Yankees, for whom injuries have become an ongoing concern. Trevino joins Josh Donaldson, Oswald Peraza, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Luis Gil, Scott Effross, Ian Hamilton, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loáisiga and Lou Trivino, who are all currently on the injured list, while they’ve also seen Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader miss some time. Despite all of those absences, the club is still hanging tough with a 25-20 record so far, but continually shuffling the deck chairs could become a growing concern over a long season unless the health situation improves.

As for Rortvedt, he was also acquired prior to the 2022 season, coming over from the Twins alongside Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but has yet to appear in a game as a Yankee mostly due to injuries. He suffered an oblique injury in the spring of 2022 then underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in April. He was eventually activated in August but was optioned to the minors. He did get recalled to the big league club in September but was optioned three days later without getting into a game. This year, Rortvedt underwent surgery in February on an aneurysm near the posterior in his left shoulder that was affecting his circulation. He began the year on the injured list and was activated a week ago but optioned to the minors again.

Given all of those hurdles, a running joke has developed among some Yankee fans that Rortvedt doesn’t even exist, but it now seems inevitable he will make his team debut at some point in the near future. He’ll likely be in the backup role in support of Kyle Higashioka, who had been backing up Trevino until now. Rortvedt has 39 games of MLB experience, which came with the Twins back 2021. He hit just .169/.229/.281 but earned 5 DRS in that short time and has positive framing metrics.

The Yankees also announced that Kahnle will begin a rehab assignment today with Single-A Tampa. The 33-year-old was signed in the offseason to a two-year, $11.5MM deal but has been on the IL all year so far due to biceps tendinitis. He was eventually transferred to the 60-day IL, meaning he won’t be eligible to return until next week but will likely need some time to get into game shape anyway. He has a career 3.78 ERA and 29.3% strikeout rate but has only thrown 13 2/3 innings since the end of 2019 due to various injuries.

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New York Yankees Transactions Ben Rortvedt Jose Trevino Tommy Kahnle

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Boone: Yankees Working On “Potential Deal” To Add Pitcher

By Steve Adams | March 30, 2023 at 10:13am CDT

The Yankees are working on a “potential” deal to add a pitcher to the staff, manager Aaron Boone told reporters prior to today’s season opener (Twitter link, with video, via SNY). Boone didn’t futher tip his hand as to whether the Yankees are talking to a free agent or discussing a possible trade. However, they’re opening the season with 14 position players and 12 pitchers on their roster, reflective of both a potentially incoming arm and an off-day on the schedule Friday.

“We’re going with just seven guys in the ’pen, obviously with an off-day tomorrow, where we have a potential deal going that’ll probably change that moving forward in the next day or two,” said Boone. “…A pitcher could be in play for us, that we add or not. Whether or not we do, we’d be in a position to pull from the minor leagues, too.”

New York’s pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries, evidenced by the sheer number of players who are beginning the season on the injured list. The Yankees announced today that lefty Carlos Rodon (forearm strain) and righties Luis Severino (lat strain), Lou Trivino (elbow strain), Tommy Kahnle (biceps tendinitis) and Frankie Montas (shoulder surgery) have all been placed on the 15-day injured list. Right-handers Scott Effross (2022 Tommy John surgery) and Luis Gil (2022 Tommy John surgery) both were placed on the 60-day IL. Center fielder Harrison Bader (oblique strain) and catcher Ben Rortvedt (shoulder aneurysm surgery) are both on the 10-day IL.

Also of note from Boone’s media session today, the skipper indicated that not only will Oswaldo Cabrera get the Opening Day start in left field — but he’ll open the season as the team’s primary left fielder (Twitter link via Joel Sherman of the New York Post). Aaron Hicks will still get some time against left-handed pitching, and Cabrera’s versatility means he’ll occasionally line up at other spots, but it seems the current plan is for him to be the most frequently used option in left field.

The 24-year-old Cabrera made his big league debut in 2022, slashing .247/.312/.429 in 171 plate appearances. Originally expected to be in more of a versatile infield/outfield utility role, the switch-hitting Cabrera seized a more prominent role with a monster spring showing. In 57 plate appearances, he batted .340/.386/.623 with four homers, three doubles, four walks (7%) and 10 strikeouts (17.5%).

The Yankees also confirmed some previously known/reported moves. Top prospect Anthony Volpe’s contract has been formally selected, and he’ll open the season as the Yankees’ primary shortstop. Right-hander Jhony Brito was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is expected to start the team’s third game of the season on Sunday. And, as was widely reported yesterday, the Yankees signed outfielder/first baseman Franchy Cordero to a Major League contract and formally added him to their Opening Day roster.

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New York Yankees Newsstand Aaron Hicks Anthony Volpe Ben Rortvedt Carlos Rodon Franchy Cordero Frankie Montas Harrison Bader Jhony Brito Lou Trivino Luis Gil Luis Severino Oswaldo Cabrera Scott Effross Tommy Kahnle

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AL East Notes: Manoah, Shapiro, Rortvedt, Bautista

By Mark Polishuk | February 25, 2023 at 7:45pm CDT

“I don’t think there’s been any talks about anything” involving a long-term extension between Alek Manoah and the Blue Jays, the right-hander told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.  Noting that he is under team control through 2027, Manoah didn’t seem to expect any negotiations in the near future, saying “I don’t think I’m a priority right now.”  The right-hander did state that “there’s no hard feelings, it’s just the business part of it” in regards to both the lack of talks, and Manoah’s decision to again take a salary renewal from the Jays rather than officially agree to their offered salary for his pre-arbitration season.  Manoah will earn $745,650 in 2023, and he might become eligible for arbitration as early as next winter if he gains Super Two status.

Extending Manoah would give the Jays come cost certainty over what might be some increasingly pricey arbitration years, given how impressive he has looked in his first two MLB seasons.  After a strong rookie campaign, Manoah took things a step further in his first full season, posting a 2.24 ERA over 196 2/3 innings and finishing third in AL Cy Young Award voting.  If an extension didn’t come, Manoah said “I’m completely happy riding out that [arbitration] process and allowing the team to go spend money on other guys and me continuing to earn my value and earn what I hope to get one day,” though he also stated that “I want to play in Toronto for a long time.”

More from around the AL East…

  • Sticking with the Blue Jays, there was some surprise that the team surpassed the luxury tax threshold for the first time this winter, and bumped its real-dollars payroll from $175MM (already a club high) in 2022 to a projected $211.7MM heading into Spring Training.  But, team president Mark Shapiro told The Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm that “on the expense side, this is the way we envisioned it” after going through their rebuilding phase.  “Once we have that mass of talent, we want to put it in a position to sustainably be a championship-calibre team. So we need to surround it with talent, where we have gaps,” Shapiro said.  “But not build the team solely through free agency, supplement a team through free agency….The thought was we’d always have to ramp up payroll as we went.”  The Jays have some regular shoppers in the higher-end free agent market over the last four offseasons, signing such players as George Springer, Hyun Jin Ryu, Kevin Gausman, and (most recently) Chris Bassitt to expensive long-term deals, while also investing in some pricier trade targets and contract extensions.
  • The Yankees announced earlier this week that catcher Ben Rortvedt underwent surgery to remove an aneurysm in the posterior artery near his left shoulder, and that he’ll miss at least a month before resuming baseball activities.  The injury was “really shocking” to Rortvedt, as he told The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, since he first assumed that the soreness in the pointer finger of his glove hand was a normal side effect of catching.  But, after he noticed his finger was starting to turn blue, Rortvedt went for further examination, and apparently not a moment too soon.  According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Armin Tehrany, such a circulation problem created “the risk of permanent soft tissue damage,” and Rortvedt “might [have needed] to get something amputated.”  Fortunately, it looks like Rortvedt won’t miss all that much time, and the catcher will finally get to start his Yankees career after missing the 2022 season due to oblique and knee injuries.
  • Felix Bautista threw another bullpen session today, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes, as the Orioles closer was aiming to ramp up to 80-85 percent readiness.  Bautista is still recovering from left knee problems that cropped up at the end of last season, as well as an offseason problem for strengthening his throwing shoulder.  Today’s work marked Bautista’s sixth throwing session overall, so he appears to be on pace to reach his stated goal of making the Opening Day roster.  Bautista’s first MLB season was a thorough success, as he posted a 2.19 ERA and an elite 34.8% strikeout rate (albeit with a below-average 9.1% walk rate) over 65 1/3 innings, becoming one of many breakout players for the surprising Orioles.
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Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees Notes Toronto Blue Jays Alek Manoah Ben Rortvedt Felix Bautista

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Yankees’ Ben Rortvedt, Frankie Montas Undergo Surgery

By Steve Adams | February 22, 2023 at 2:22pm CDT

Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt and right-hander Frankie Montas both underwent surgery Wednesday, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters (Twitter links via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Montas was already known to require arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder, and today’s procedure is now being classified as a cleanup of his labrum. His rotator cuff did not require repair. Montas will be cleared to resume throwing in approximately 12 weeks and could still return this season.

Rortvedt, meanwhile, has been bothered by a finger ailment that doctors had been unable to pinpoint in recent days. He met with a specialist yesterday. The operation addressed an aneurysm near the posterior in his left shoulder, which had impacted the circulation in his hand and finger. He’ll be shut down from all baseball activity for at least the next month.

The injury to Montas is an obvious blow for a Yankees club that hoped for a healthy Montas in 2023 — one that resembled his standout form with the Athletics more than the diminished version of Montas they saw following last summer’s trade. The right-hander had dealt with shoulder troubles shortly before the trade deadline, but the Yankees were clearly convinced that the issue was minor and that they’d be getting something close to the pitcher who’d posted a 3.30 ERA with strong strikeout and walk rates from Opening Day 2021 through the 2022 trade deadline.

Instead, the Yankees received eight rough outings from Montas down the stretch and will now be without him for the majority of the 2023 campaign, after which he’s slated to become a free agent. New York also picked up righty reliever Lou Trivino in that swap, and he delivered 21 2/3 innings of 1.94 ERA ball down the stretch. He’s controlled through the 2024 season, but the trade with the A’s will still feel rather steep, given that the Yankees sent prospects Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, Luis Medina and Cooper Bowman to Oakland in return for Montas and Trivino. The Yankees reportedly do not plan to pursue a trade to replenish the pitching depth lost with Montas’ injury.

As for Rortvedt, he came over to the Yankees alongside Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the trade that sent Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez to the Twins last offseason. A former second-round pick who’s regarded  as a glove-first option behind the dish, the 25-year-old Rortvedt played in only 48 minor league games in 2022. He spent most of the season on the Major League injured list due to a severe oblique strain and was optioned upon activation. He spent six games in the low minors before heading to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he turned in a .221/.307/.396 batting line with six home runs and a 10.2% walk rate but also a troubling 32.2% strikeout rate in 177 plate appearances.

Rortvedt has appeared in 39 big league games, all with the Twins, and posted a .169/.229/.281 batting line with a 29.6% strikeout rate in 98 trips to the plate. He has a minor league option year remaining — which is crucial, given that Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka are lined up as the primary catchers to begin the season —  and can be controlled for at least five more years.

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New York Yankees Ben Rortvedt Frankie Montas

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Minor MLB Transactions: Deadline Day

By Anthony Franco | August 2, 2022 at 8:18pm CDT

As is the case at every trade deadline, there’s a flurry of activity on deadline day. The most high-profile of the moves are the trades themselves, but the aftermath of that activity often results in a shuffle of minor moves of their own. Plenty of clubs have had to fill or create roster spots depending on the deals they’ve made in the last 24 hours. We’ll round up 40-man roster transactions not previously covered on the MLBTR pages here:

AL East

  • Yankees: Reinstated catcher Ben Rortvedt from 60-day injured list
  • Blue Jays: Designated left-hander Anthony Banda for assignment; lost left-hander Andrew Vasquez on waivers to Phillies

AL Central

  • Tigers: Reinstated right-hander Matt Manning from 60-day injured list
  • White Sox: Claimed right-hander Tobias Myers off waivers from Giants

AL West

  • Angels: Selected the contract of infielder Jose Rojas; designated infielder David MacKinnon for assignment
  • Mariners: Designated first baseman Jack Larsen for assignment; released left-hander Tommy Milone
  • Astros: Transferred catcher Jason Castro to 60-day injured list

NL East

  • Nationals: Designated left-hander Josh Rogers for assignment; transferred left-hander Evan Lee to 60-day injured list. Selected the contract of first baseman Joey Meneses
  • Marlins: Reinstated right-hander Anthony Bender from 60-day injured list
  • Phillies: Claimed left-hander Andrew Vasquez off waivers from Blue Jays

NL Central

  • Cubs: Claimed right-hander Kervin Castro off waivers from Giants
  • Brewers: Designated right-hander Luke Barker for assignment

NL West

Giants: Lost right-hander Tobias Myers on waivers to White Sox; lost right-hander Kervin Castro on waivers to Cubs

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Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Washington Nationals Andrew Vasquez Anthony Banda Anthony Bender Ben Rortvedt David MacKinnon Evan Lee Jack Larsen Jason Castro Joey Meneses Jose Rojas Josh Rogers Kervin Castro Luke Barker Matt Manning Tobias Myers Tommy Milone

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Yankees Place Joey Gallo, Kyle Higashioka On COVID IL

By Darragh McDonald | May 22, 2022 at 2:20pm CDT

With just minutes to go before today’s doubleheader against the White Sox, the Yankees have announced a series of roster moves. Outfielder Joey Gallo and catcher Kyle Higashioka have been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Catcher Ben Rortvedt was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. Additionally, the club recalled righty David McKay and signed catcher Rob Brantly to the active roster.

The club hasn’t provided any information about why exactly Gallo and Higashioka have been placed on the COVID list, though manager Aaron Boone did say that Gallo was “under the weather” yesterday, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Players can be placed on the COVID-related IL for positive tests, experiencing symptoms or for contract tracing purposes. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club. It’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician).

With Gallo out, the Yankees still have Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton for their outfield mix. Though with Stanton frequently in the DH slot, it’s possible that Marwin Gonzalez gets more time on the grass. Estevan Florial, the 27th man for today’s doubleheader, could also stick around for some added outfield depth in the days to come.

Higashioka and Jose Trevino have been combining to handle the work behind the dish for the Yanks, with each appearing in parts of 24 games so far this year. Brantly, 32, is a journeyman catcher, having played for the Marlins, White Sox, Phillies and Giants, before suiting up for the Yankees last year. He was outrighted and re-signed to a minor league deal in the offseason. Through 14 Triple-A games this year, he’s hitting .257/.341/.371, 96 wRC+. He’ll presumably act as Trevino’s backup until Higashioka is eligible to return.

As for Rortvedt, he recently underwent knee surgery and isn’t expected to return to game activity for 6-8 weeks, making his transfer largely a formality. Acquired alongside Josh Donaldson in this offseason’s trade with the Twins, he has yet to appear in a game for the Yankees, starting the year off with an oblique issue before this knee injury surfaced.

McKay, 27, was signed by the Rays to a minor league deal over the winter but was traded to the Yankees in April. He’s yet to appear with the big league team, but has been throwing well in Triple-A. In 14 2/3 innings with the RailRiders, he has a 1.84 ERA and 36.8% strikeout rate, though that comes with a 14% walk rate.

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New York Yankees Transactions Ben Rortvedt David McKay Joey Gallo Kyle Higashioka Rob Brantly

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Yankees’ Ben Rortvedt Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | May 18, 2022 at 2:05pm CDT

The Yankees announced that catcher Ben Rortvedt underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, with the surgery described a “meniscus clean-up.”  The surgery took place yesterday, and Rortvedt is expected to return to game activity in 6-8 weeks.

The least-experienced of the five names involved in March’s blockbuster trade between the Yankees and Twins, Rortvedt has yet to make his New York debut, as he has been recovering from an oblique injury suffered during Spring Training.  The catcher began a rehab assignment earlier this month, but that assignment was put on hold after Rortvedt’s knee issue surfaced.

Rortvedt made his MLB debut just last season, appearing in 39 games for Minnesota and hitting .169/.229/.281 over 98 plate appearances.  Considered primarily as a glove-first type, Rortvedt did show a bit of extra hitting potential with a .254/.324/.426 slash line over 136 Triple-A PA, and he is still only 24 years old.

In the wake of Rortvedt’s oblique injury, the Yankees acquired Jose Trevino from the Rangers as extra catching depth, and the tandem of Trevino and Kyle Higashioka have contributed next to nothing at the plate this season.  However, it was clear that the Yankees were focusing on defense from the catcher position, and Trevino/Higashioka have excelled on that front — as per both Fangraphs and Statcast, New York has the best framing numbers of any team in baseball, and Yankee catchers are a cumulative +2 in Defensive Runs Saved.  While the Yankees surely wouldn’t mind a bit of extra pop from Trevino, Higashioka, or Rortvedt when he is healthy, the club is surely more than satisfied with this defensive excellence, especially since the rest of the lineup is hitting on all cylinders.

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New York Yankees Ben Rortvedt

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