Yankees' Yanquiel Fernández loses 40-man roster spot, stays in New York

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 2: The helmet of Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium on April 2, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)

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By Jackson Roberts

Contributing Sports Writer

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The New York Yankees may not have had the splashiest of offseasons in terms of external additions, but they pulled off a couple of late heists.

Just as spring training was set to arrive, the Yankees made a series of waiver claims involving players they knew were unlikely to stay on the 40-man roster for long. Their bet was that since other teams were making last-minute additions to the 40-man, they would be able to pass some of those players through waivers.

That process previously netted the Yankees outfielder Marco Luciano and right-handed pitcher Dom Hamel and allowed them to retain infielder Braden Shewmake. On Monday, another intriguing name joined the list.

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 2: The helmet of Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium on April 2, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)

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According to the official transactions log, the Yankees outrighted outfielder Yanquiel Fernández to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he cleared waivers. Fernández, 23, was claimed by the Yankees on Feb. 4 after making his major league debut last season with the Colorado Rockies.

Fernández appeared in 52 major league games with the Rockies as a rookie, posting a .225 average with four home runs and a .613 OPS. He ranked as high as No. 3 in the Rockies' farm system during his developmental years, per MLB Pipeline, but his stock took enough of a hit that the Rockies didn't consider him worth keeping around despite the fact that he had a minor-league option remaining.

While it may have been a more advantageous position for Fernández to keep his 40-man spot and move to a new organization, for the Yankees, the whole process worked out perfectly. Now, they've got a potential power bat waiting in the wings in case things go haywire in the majors, and Fernández could also become trade bait down the road if he produces.