Yankees promote Jake Bauers from taxi squad in potential optimistic Aaron Decide signal
ARLINGTON, Texas – Jake Bauers’ keep on the taxi squad solely lasted a day.
The Yankees on Saturday promoted Bauers to the energetic roster, taking the spot opened by optioning Franchy Cordero to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre late Friday night time.
That Bauers is changing Cordero could also be an excellent signal for Aaron Decide, who underwent an MRI examination on Friday for his hip that the Yankees were still waiting on a diagnosis for after Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers.
Bauers had flown to Texas on Friday morning in case the Yankees wanted to place Decide on the injured checklist — which supervisor Aaron Boone stated was nonetheless a risk Friday night time — although it was made clear that the outfielder/first baseman might nonetheless be part of the roster even when Decide averted the IL.
That’s due to Bauers’ scorching begin to the season at Triple-A, the place he was batting .319 with a 1.271 OPS and 9 residence runs in 21 video games.
“What he’s doing at Triple-A proper now has been phenomenal,” Boone stated Friday. “He’s earned that chance to not less than be on this place to be actually thought of and he’s finished that along with his efficiency.”
The left-handed hitting Bauers, who might leap proper into Saturday’s lineup towards Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, could be taking part in his first main league sport since 2021.
A former top-100 prospect with the Rays, Bauers has hit .213 with a .655 OPS in 328 main league video games throughout components of three totally different seasons.
However he stated on Friday that bettering his psychological perspective has just lately allowed him to play as much as his potential.
“I’ve struggled mentally over the course of my profession to date,” Bauers stated. “I did a number of work on myself to get to a spot the place I really feel like I’m in a great spot.”
Requested whether or not that meant dealing with slumps higher, Bauer stated, “all of it.”
“Adversity, challenges, failing, succeeding, all of it,” he stated. “I’ve form of been in a spot the place I’d experience the waves for a bit of bit. Now I really feel like I’m extra current with all the things I’m doing. I’m extra current on the sphere and I’m form of simply taking all the things because it comes.”
With that has come some early energy for Bauers.
Essentially the most residence runs he had hit in any single season earlier than this 12 months was in 2016 at Double-A, when he had 14 homers in 581 plate appearances.
This season, he already has 9 homers in 87 plate appearances.
“I believe simply consistency,” Bauers stated. “It’s at all times been in there, it simply hasn’t at all times proven up in video games. So I really feel just like the Yankees, to their credit score, have gotten my swing to a spot the place I’m in a position to do it constantly. Hopefully nothing adjustments now that I’m right here.”
To make room for Bauers on the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred Lou Trivino (UCL sprain) to the 60-day injured checklist.
The reliever is scheduled to get a second opinion on his elbow on Monday after experiencing a setback in his rehab final week.