Brian Cashman already took a swing at fixing the Yankees’ offense before the MLB trade deadline, adding slugging first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals and outfielder Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants.
That move was aimed at patching over a lineup that has been short on real thump, and the Yankees are still counting on right fielder Aaron Judge, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, and center fielder Cody Bellinger to come back for the playoff push. But if the injury luck turns again, New York may need another emergency power bat - because shortstop Anthony Volpe and outfielder Jasson Dominguez are not the answer there.
If that happens, three names are sitting out there as possible stopgaps.
The first is Marcell Ozuna, whom the Pittsburgh Pirates released on Wednesday. The 35-year-old has struggled badly this season, batting .203 with eight home runs and a .612 OPS in 70 games.
Still, the track record is hard to ignore. Ozuna is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
He hit 21 home runs for the Atlanta Braves last season, then finished fourth in National League MVP voting in 2024 after blasting 39 homers with a career-high 104 RBIs. He also owns a Gold Glove Award.
Jorge Soler is another option after the Los Angeles Angels designated him for assignment on Tuesday. He’s also hitting .203 this year, but he has 12 home runs and a .664 OPS in 86 games.
Soler’s résumé carries real weight, too. He’s a two-time World Series champion, helped the Chicago Cubs end their 108-year drought in 2016, and won World Series MVP honors with the Braves in 2021.
The 34-year-old has been in the majors for 13 seasons and was an All-Star three years ago, when he hit 36 home runs with an .853 OPS for the Miami Marlins.
Then there’s Austin Hays, who the Chicago White Sox designated on Wednesday. His 2025 line is rough - a .233 average, one home run, and a .576 OPS in 12 games - but he’s only 31 and just came back from an injured list stint for a strained calf. Hays hit 15 home runs last season for the Cincinnati Reds and made the All-Star team in 2023 with the Baltimore Orioles, when he posted career highs with 143 hits and 36 doubles.
None of those three looks like a perfect fit for a Yankees offense that has slipped badly since Judge went on the injured list. But if the Yankees need another bat before their regulars return, Ozuna, Soler, and Hays at least give Cashman some emergency choices.
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One of the more intriguing options is Luis Gil, though the idea comes with real uncertainty. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year has had his share of performance and health issues, and the club still has to decide whether his stuff would play better in shorter bursts or whether moving him would just create a different problem somewhere else on the pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]