In a surprising move, the Yankees have optioned Tyler Wade to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.
The move comes as a shock, despite Wade’s .224/.283/.265 slashline, as the Yankees have liked Wade’s speed, defense, and ability to play several positions. Wade has played all three outfield positions this year, as well as second, short, and third.
Wade was with the big league club throughout the shortened 2020 season. For Sunday’s doubleheader, the Yankees appointed Wandy Peralta as their “27th man,” so someone had to be sent down following.
Lucas Leutge has struggled, as he has allowed seven earned runs in his last two appearances, and it’s hard to imagine Nestor Cortes seeing innings after tossing 3.1 frames on Sunday.
But it seems the Yankees want the two lefties in the pen – they also recently traded for Tim Locastro, who, like Wade, is a speedy defender, most typically in the outfield.
This leaves the Yankees with little infield depth – they now only have five infielders on their 26-man roster.