Zack

Short

McGonigle receives his first day off since May 4. The 21-year-old hitting machine has dealt with the usual ebbs and flows that accompany life in the majors as a rookie, but he’s been a fantasy force, hitting 285/.390/.407 with 38 runs scored, three homers, 21 RBI and nine steals across 59 games. Gleyber Torres is at second base in his return from the injured list with Zack Short handling shortstop and Zach McKinstry at the hot corner.

Short had been designated for assignment earlier in the week and elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo. He’ll head right back to the Tigers though and will start at shortstop on Friday evening against Kris Bubic and the Royals.

Short was designated for assignment on Tuesday and passed through waivers unclaimed. It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll accept the outright assignment or if he’ll decide to explore the open market instead. The defensive specialist went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his limited action with the Tigers this time around.

Short was just traded for on Monday and played one game for the Tigers. However, with Zach McKinstry coming off the injured list, Short was no longer needed in Detroit. Perhaps the Tigers can sign him back on a minor league deal if he clears waivers.

It’s a routine off day for McGonigle after hitting a little bit of a rough patch, relatively speaking, going 7-for-28 with four RBI and one steal over his last seven games. The 21-year-old rookie hitting machine has been a certifiable force for Detroit, slashing .315/.407/.477 with 15 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and three steals through 34 games this season. It’ll be Zack Short taking over at shortstop, naturally, in his place on Monday night.

The Tigers made a deal to bring back Short, presumably for some extra insurance at shortstop with Javier Báez (ankle) sidelined for an extensive period of time. Short will likely serve as a backup and remains off the fantasy radar.

The Yankees were apparently short on cash, while the Nationals needed a utility infielder. Short heads to Washington as emergency organizational infield depth at Triple-A Rochester. The versatile 30-year-old was in Yankees camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. He’s gotten into 243 games in the majors between five different organizations since 2021. He’s the definition of a modern-era stopgap solution up the middle.

Fernández is the highest-profile inclusion among the latest batch of cuts from Yankees camp after being claimed off waivers from the Rockies earlier in the offseason. Ornelas and Short figure to stick around as emergency stopgap options for New York in case injuries take a toll on their infield depth.

Cabrera is going through drills and appears to be moving well, but has not practiced sliding yet and has not appeared in any spring games. Cabrera is set to begin the season as a utility player off the bench, so if he were to start the year on the injured list, that would open up a chance for Amed Rosario to see more playing time and Paul DeJong, Zack Short, Braden Shewmake, or Jorbit Vivas, who all have no minor league options, to make the Yankees Opening Day roster

Short fortifies New York’s middle infield depth heading into next season after hitting .220/.291/.380 with two homers across 56 plate appearances over 30 games for the Astros this past season. The 30-year-old journeyman shortstop is the prototypical emergency stopgap option for an organization like the Yankees after getting into 243 games in the big leagues between five different teams over the past half-decade.