HOUSTON — The Yankees have found some infield insurance.
On the eve of Opening Day, the Yankees acquired utility infielder John Barty from the Marlins in a three-way trade, sending catcher Ben Rohrtvedt to the Rays and outfield prospect John Cruz to Miami, the Post reported. Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman confirmed it. Wednesday.
Berti, 34, can play third base, second base and shortstop, and has experience in all three outfield positions.
Last season, he played in 133 games and had a batting average of .294, OS of .748, and 16 stolen bases.
The Yankees needed someone like Berti, but DJ LeMahieu started the season on the disabled list with a bone bruise in his right foot.
This leaves utility man Oswaldo Cabrera at third base, but the Yankees could choose to use Berti regularly at third base until LeMahieu returns and Cabrera is active on the diamond. There is also.
In the process, the Yankees took away a minor league option and acquired something of value in Roltvedt, who was third on the catcher depth chart behind Austin Wells and Jose Trevino.
Originally acquired from the Twins along with Josh Donaldson and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa for the 2022 season, Rohrtvedt did a great job of catching American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole late last season. However, it did not have a big impact on the offensive side.
For now, it appears that second baseman/left fielder Jamai Jones, who was placed on waivers by the Brewers during spring training, could fill the final bench spot. Jones is also out of minor league options.
Berti, a right-handed hitter, is under contract until 2025. He had 41 stolen bases in 2022 and had five defensive saves at third base last season.
Cruz is an 18-year-old who played on the Yankees’ Florida Complex League rookie team last season.
He was ranked the Yankees’ No. 28 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
