Yankees Take a Chance on Struggling Infielder Recently Released by Reds
The New York Yankees have added former Reds infielder Jeimer Candelario to their organization on a minor league deal, assigning him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Reds let go of the 31-year-old veteran in June after he managed just a .113 batting average with two home runs over 22 injury-plagued games in the second year of a three-year, $45 million contract.
Candelario had been sidelined earlier this season with a lumbar spine strain and didn’t show much improvement during his 15-game rehab stint in Triple-A Louisville, where he posted a modest .211/.318/.333 slash line. Though he hit 20 home runs for Cincinnati last year, his time with the Reds is widely seen as a disappointment.
Now with the Yankees, Candelario will try to regain form and possibly earn a shot at the major league roster later this season as infield depth. He’s the second veteran infielder to sign with New York in recent days, joining Nicky Lopez in Triple-A.
These signings suggest the Yankees may be leaning on internal options rather than exploring the trade market to upgrade third base. Ideally, a stable third base solution would allow Jazz Chisholm Jr. to shift back to second base and move DJ LeMahieu to a reserve role. For now, the team seems focused on building depth in the minors and hoping for a turnaround.
