Kenedy

Corona

The Yankees had said all along that regardless of how he performed during the spring, it was likely that the Martian would be starting the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and that’s where he’ll head despite slashing .325/.378/.600 with three homers, 10 RBI and three stolen bases in 45 plate appearances during Grapefruit League play. He has all of the skills to be an impact fantasy contributor, but it’ll take an injury for him to get enough playing time with the Bombers to bring that to fruition.

Corona heads to New York after being removed from Houston’s 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason. The 25-year-old former prospect got into three contests for the Astros in early July before spending the rest of the year at Triple-A Sugar Land, finishing with a lackluster .220/.308/.326 slash line with seven homers and 18 steals across 433 plate appearances in 121 games. His prospect star burned a lot brighter a couple seasons ago, but he’s a decent low-risk depth addition for the Yankees and will likely head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre once spring training wraps up.

The trio went unclaimed on waivers after being cut loose from Houston’s 40-man roster earlier this week to clear roster space. McCormick looked like a non-tender candidate, and his expected arbitration salary was evidently high enough to keep other teams from putting in a claim.

No real surprises here as Houston does a little housekeeping to clear space on their 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason. McCormick and Garcia are the most prominent names here and were virtual locks to be non-tendered in a couple weeks. León was one of the better prospects in Houston’s system before knee injuries derailed his development.

With Chas McCormick returning from the injured list, there was no longer an available spot on the Astros’ bench for the 25-year-old outfielder. Corona went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a strikeout during his limited time with the Astros.

Meyers appears likely to avoid the injured list for now after exiting Sunday’s game against the Dodgers with right calf tightness. The 29-year-old center fielder is day-to-day for now. It’ll be rookie Kenedy Corona taking over in center field in his absence.

Assuming that he gets into a game, it’ll be the major league debut for the 25-year-old Corona. He was hitting .228/.315/.351 with six homers and eight steals in 299 plate appearances for Sugar Land.

Corona and Gordon will open the year back in the minors after being cut from big-league camp.

Corona will start off the 2024 season in the minors after he went 4-for-13 with four singles and three walks in nine spring games. He spent most of his 2023 season at the Double-A level where he slashed .244/.325/.449 with 20 homers and 61 RBI. He’ll continue to be an outfield depth option for Houston.

The move protects the 23-year-old outfielder from being plucked in the Rule 5 draft. Corona spent most of his 2023 season at Double-A Corpus Christi where he slashed .244/.325/.449 with 20 homers, 61 RBI and 31 swipes (in 40 attempts) over 491 plate appearances in 111 games. He’ll continue to serve as outfield depth for the Astros for the time being, but could break through and make his big league debut at some point during the 2024 campaign.