It seems that the New York Yankees have claimed infielder Jeter Downs off waivers from the Washington Nationals. Jeter Downs, 25, was once a top prospect and a first-round pick, named after the Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. Downs was initially part of the Boston Red Sox farm system, acquired by Boston in the Mookie Betts blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Yankees now have two of the three players that the Dodgers sent to Boston in the Betts deal, with the only remaining player with the Red Sox being catcher Connor Wong.
Jeter Downs made his MLB debut with Boston in 2022, playing in 14 games. Notably, he hit his first career home run against Gerrit Cole at Yankee Stadium and scored the winning run on a walk-off single against the Yankees at Fenway Park by Alex Verdugo.
However, Downs struggled both in the majors and minors, leading to his designation for assignment at the end of the 2022 season. After being picked up by the Nationals, he appeared in only six games with Washington, spending most of his time in Triple-A for the third consecutive year.
Over the last two seasons, Downs had a challenging time, slashing .182/.260/.273 across 20 big-league games, and his minor league performance was not much better.
It’s mentioned that unless there are injuries or a breakout performance in spring training, Downs will likely begin the 2024 season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the Yankees. If he can improve his offensive performance, there’s a possibility he could see big-league playing time next year. Downs provides roster flexibility as he can play every position on the infield except first base, and he has one minor-league option remaining.
With this addition, the Yankees now have only two empty slots remaining on their 40-man roster, and there is speculation about potentially adding Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency.
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