The New York Yankees’ catching picture has been shaky all year, and the Red Sox may have just opened a door for them to address at least part of it.
Boston’s decision to designate Jake Rogers for assignment after activating Adley Rutschman from the IL on Tuesday created a logjam behind the plate. The Red Sox weren’t interested in carrying three catchers, so Rogers became the odd man out just a few days after arriving in the deal that brought him and Rutschman over from the Baltimore Orioles.
Rogers would not be an offensive savior for New York. In fact, the bar there is pretty low. The Yankees’ catching group has been so uneven that it’s fair to call it one of the weakest in baseball, and that kind of issue doesn’t disappear just because October might be on the horizon.
Still, one writer sees Rogers as a possible fit for a smaller but meaningful role. As Stephen Parello wrote, “The New York Yankees' options to solidify the catcher position at this point in time are going to be scarce.
You can pretty much forget about finding anyone to supplant Austin Wells as the starter, but maybe an improvement over Ali Sánchez as the right-handed-hitting backup can be found. Thanks to the Boston Red Sox, an ideal option for that role might be on the table.
“The Red Sox activated Adley Rutschman from the IL on Tuesday, which created a logjam at catcher. Not wanting to carry three backstops, Boston decided to cut ties with Jake Rogers, who had accompanied Rutschman on the trip north from Baltimore,” Stephen Parello wrote.
On offense, Rogers brings a career .200 average and hasn’t shown many extended runs of above-average production. But defensively, he is considered more than serviceable, and that alone could make him worth a look for New York if he reaches waivers.
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