Benintendi was already in New York when he found out that he was the Yankees’ newest outfielder, acquired in a trade for three prospects after the Yanks fell to the Mets on Wednesday night.
“I flew with the team last night here and got to the hotel, and [Royals manager Mike] Matheny came up to the room and told me…about 11:00 last night,” Benintendi said. “I'm excited to be here. Gonna miss the guys I played with in Kansas City, made some really good friends. But looking forward to helping this team out.”
The team Benintendi will be looking to help out is one he tormented at times in Yankee Stadium as a member of the Red Sox, winning a World Series in 2018 after eliminating the Bombers in the ALDS. Now, he will likely hear much different sentiments from the fans in the outfield seats in the Bronx.
“Playing for the Sox, you get a little bit of smack talk, it’s all in good fun,” Benintendi said, via Sports Illustrated. “I’ve seen how this place can get…I’m excited to call this my home stadium.”
But will Benintendi be eligible to hear jeers from the fans in Toronto when the Yankees visit the Blue Jays in September, and potentially in the postseason? The outfielder is not vaccinated against COVID-19, and while recent reports indicated that he would agree to be vaccinated to be eligible for games on the road against the Blue Jays, he clarified to reporters that that is not the case right now.
“Right now, I'm still positioned in the same spot,” Benintendi said. “I'm open-minded about it. I'm not against it, but time will tell as we get closer. But for now, I’m just focused on getting here and getting to know the guys and winning baseball games.
“I know there was a few reports about that. I don’t know where they came from, but right now, I’m just focused on playing baseball and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. But like I said, I’m open minded about it.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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