The Yankees announced on Tuesday the acquisition of 1B/DH Kendrys Morales and cash from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga has been transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL to create room on the 40-man roster.
Morales, 35, was designated for assignment by the Athletics on Monday. He had a disastrous start to the 2019 season, batting .204/.310/.259 with a lone home run and seven RBI in 126 trips to the plate. Morales, however, had a solid year for the Blue Jays last season, posting a .769 OPS with 21 homers across 130 games.
The Yankees just lost Miguel Andújar back to their already crowded IL. Morales could get some regular at-bats as the DH, with the Yankees betting that his slow start to the season is simply a fluke. It’s a low-risk, potentially medium-reward move for the Yankees, as the Athletics are on the hook for the remainder of his $12 million salary minus the prorated major league minimum.