The Yankees announced Thursday afternoon that they have claimed Bryan De La Cruz off waivers from the Braves, adding a potential outfield depth option that could see playing time against lefties.
De La Cruz was optioned to Triple-A Scranton, and to make room on the 40-man roster, Giancarlo Stanton was moved to the 60-day IL. Stanton, still battling tennis elbows, has yet to make his season debut and now won’t be able to until May 24 at the earliest.
The 28-year-old De La Cruz hit .191 (9-for-47) with in 16 games for the Braves this season. He was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on April 17 and has since hit .200 (8-for-40) with a double and three walks in 11 games.
Over parts of five Major League seasons with the Marlins, Pirates (2024) and Braves, De La Cruz is hitting .251 with 58 home runs in 491 career games. He holds a career .697 OPS against righties, which could come in some handy if Aaron Boone wants to sit Jasson Dominguez, who has struggled badly from the right side as opposed to the left.