The Yankees have acquired an outfielder … just not the one (yet) their fanbase has been clamoring for.
While they continue to talk to the Padres about Juan Soto, the Yankees claimed corner outfielder Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from the Guardians on Friday, the club announced.
Gonzalez, who turns 26 in January, is a right-handed hitter who broke out as a rookie in 2022 before cooling off this year, splitting time between Cleveland and Triple-A.
He does have two minor league options remaining, giving the Yankees depth on their 40-man roster.
In 2022, Gonzalez hit .296 with 11 home runs and a 125 OPS-plus across 91 games before coming up with some big playoff moments in October.
That included a walkoff home run in the 15th inning to sweep the AL wild-card series against the Rays and a walk-off, two-run single against Clarke Schmidt and the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Gonzalez’s sophomore season was not as productive, hitting just .214 with a 53 OPS-plus across 54 games.
He did hit .287 with a .819 OPS in 83 games at Triple-A.
The Dominican Republic native has also been known for having the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song as his walk-up music.
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