The Yankees re-acquired utility man Tyler Wade on Thursday, sending cash or a player to be named later to the Los Angeles Angels for Wade, who was designated for assignment by the Halos and outrighted to the minors earlier this month.
As such, Wade does not have to go on the 40-man roster, and was assigned straight to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he played parts of three seasons from 2017-19.
So why, then, did the Yankees bring him back, nine months after dealing him to the Halos for cash or a PTBNL?
“We know Tyler. We know what he brings to the table. He can play all the outfield positions, (he) can play all the infield positions. He's a bolt of lightning on the base paths. He can steal bases for you. So I thought he was a good organizational depth, so now we have more choices,” general manager Brian Cashman told the media while attending the Yankees’ HOPE Week event on Thursday.
The Yankees have been rather lucky from a position player health standpoint, with nine non-catchers playing at least 70 games each (Josh Donaldson hit that mark Thursday in the Yankees’ 89th game) and just 17 position players used – one of which, catcher Rob Brantly, was a COVID call-up.
That said, the bullpen situation is proof that a team can never have enough depth, which Cashman knows – and Wade gives them another veteran option with positional versatility that can help the Yankees prevent needing to use inexperienced prospects in a pinch.
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“We're better protected as we start to navigate the rest of July, August and September, and hopefully October,” Cashman said, “and I think we're a stronger, better organization today than we were yesterday because now we have more coverage.”
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