Since Alex Rodriguez walked away after the 2016 season, the Yankees have treated third base like a revolving door. They’ve cycled through options, chased stability, and still kept coming up short.
In hindsight, Manny Machado would have been the obvious swing after the 2018 season, especially with what he’s done in San Diego: .275/.340/.485 across seven seasons. Instead, the Yankees kept searching.
Now the job belongs to Ryan McMahon, and there’s at least a real reason for optimism. He’s hit at least 20 home runs in each of the last six 162-game seasons, and he arrives from a Rockies team that spent much of his career among the league’s worst.
Yankees fans are hoping a better environment can unlock another gear. He’s already helped with his glove, and if the strikeouts come down, he could climb this ranking fast.
For now, though, here’s how the Yankees’ post-A-Rod third basemen stack up.
Gio Urshela sits near the top for good reason. The Yankees bought him from the Blue Jays for $25,000, and that ended up looking like pure robbery. He hit .292/.335/.480 in 291 games in pinstripes and started two Opening Days, in 2020 and 2021.
He also delivered a pair of moments that stuck. In the clinching game of the 2020 ALDS, he turned on a 3-2 fastball and sent a grand slam over the high wall at Cleveland’s Progressive Field to put the Yankees ahead 5-4.
The next year, he launched himself face-first into the Rays’ dugout to make the catch of the year. Then came the part that still feels like a miss: the Yankees sent him to the Twins as part of the Josh Donaldson deal.
Todd Frazier’s Yankees stint was much shorter, but it left a mark. His thumbs-down celebration became a rallying cry for a team that felt cheated out of the pennant by the Astros. Frazier retired in 2021 and now works for the YES Network as a studio analyst.
Miguel Andújar gave the Yankees a flash of something bigger before injuries took over. He finished second to Shohei Ohtani in the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .297/.328/.527 and looking like a natural hitter.
From 2019 through 2022, injuries whittled him down, and the front office held on long enough to leave a sour taste with fans. After leaving New York, he played for the Pirates, A’s and Reds, and last season he hit .318/.352/.470 in 94 games.
Oswaldo Cabrera has been with the organization since he was 17, and the Yankees have kept finding ways to use him. Since his debut in 2022, he’s played every position except catcher. He’s also cracked the Opening Day lineup twice, in 2024 and 2025, while batting .234/.295/.346 in 301 games.
Chase Headley was the definition of average in a Yankees uniform. The team traded for him, and he became one of Brian Cashman’s projects that never fully worked.
In 501 games, he hit .262/.339/.387. With one year left on his four-year deal, the Yankees sent him back to the Padres in December 2017, and he retired the next year.
Josh Donaldson brings up the bottom of the list, and for obvious reasons. Cashman acquired him just weeks before the 2022 season, and the fit never really took.
Donaldson hit .207/.293/.385 in 165 games with the Yankees. In May 2022, he was suspended after making an inappropriate and racially-tinged comment to Tim Anderson of the White Sox.
The Yankees had traded away Urshela to get him, and Urshela hit .285/.337/.429 that season. What made the whole thing sting even more was the constant chorus from Aaron Boone and the front office that Donaldson was close to figuring it out.
In Other News...
Anthony Volpe May Have Forced One More Yankees Decision
Anthony Volpes time in Triple-A has only strengthened the case for him to get another look in New York. After being optioned on Aug. 4 and losing his grip on the starting shortstop job, he has put together a productive stretch at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with a solid batting line and enough extra-base damage to remind the Yankees why he was once viewed as such an important part of the infield picture.
September could now force one more decision for the club, especially with roster flexibility at a premium. Volpe does not need to return as the everyday shortstop to matter, either, because the Yankees could use him in a more limited role as infield depth and even as a bench option at second base if they decide his bat and versatility are worth bringing back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Turned To A Familiar Ex-Red Sox Arm Again
The Yankees dipped back into the waiver wire for a familiar bullpen arm, claiming right-hander John Schreiber from the Royals as they continue sorting through relief help down the stretch. Schreiber, 32, was effective enough in Kansas City to post a 3.65 ERA across 55 appearances, giving New York another experienced option as it keeps churning the back end of the roster.
Schreiber arrives as an impending free agent, which makes the move a low-risk bet for the Yankees as they look for stability without committing beyond this season. New York was able to add him without a corresponding roster move after designating Justin Topa for assignment, so the club gets a fresh arm in place and another bullpen decision to sort out later. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Face A Catching Decision That Could Force A Tough Move
Mitch Garvers minor league deal with the Yankees has now reached a crossroads, thanks to an opt-out assignment clause that puts the rest of the league on the clock. Any team that wants to jump in must signal interest by the deadline, and if that happens, New York would have only 48 hours to either promote Garver to the active roster or work out a trade.
For the Yankees, the decision is less about Garver in a vacuum and more about what it means behind the plate. They are weighing a move that would bring him onto the big-league roster, but doing so would directly affect backup catcher Ali Sanchez and leave the club with a choice it may not want to make until the last possible moment. [Read more 🡒]