The Yankees have been hit with adversity over the past 10 days, thanks to three consecutive series losses and injuries to Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton. New York picked up reinforcements over the past week, calling up Ben Rice and signing Tim Hill. Now, another name can be added to that list. Infielder J.D. Davis, designated for assignment earlier in the week by the Athletics, was acquired by the Yankees via trade.
A Look at the Trade
The Athletics signed now-Yankees infielder J.D. Davis in mid-March after the veteran was unceremoniously cut by the Giants, who replaced the 31-year-old with Matt Chapman. On the surface, the move appeared to be a win for the A’s, who were able to add a power bat on a team-friendly deal, one who could be a piece to trade come July. While Oakland did wind up trading Davis, his tenure with the A’s wasn’t a smashing success.
Davis batted just .236/.304/.366 on the season with Oakland and eight extra-base hits (4 HR) over 39 games. The one positive for Davis in 2024 was that he hit lefties well. The 31-year-old batted .265/.324/.471 (.795 OPS) against left-handed pitching.
When Davis signed with Oakland in March, we noted that fastballs have been a tricky point for the 31-year-old. Davis isn’t categorized for having a long swing — his 7.3 feet length per Statcast is league-average — but he does struggle with catching up to heat up in the zone, something that’s been a problem dating back to his Mets days. His 40.3% Whiff% against fastballs is up from 2023 (33.6%).
In return, the Yankees gave up former first-round pick Jordan Groshans. Groshans is far removed from his days as a top prospect in the Blue Jays system. The 24-year-old only has 65 MLB plate appearances to his name since being drafted six years ago.
Groshans is batting just .232/.310/.280 (.590 OPS) over 50 games this season between Double and Triple-A.
The move to acquire J.D. Davis marks a busy week for the Yankees from a transaction standpoint. New York DFA’d left-hander Victor Gonzalez earlier this week, and signed Tim Hill after the White Sox cut him.
Analysis
From the A’s standpoint, the trade gets Davis’ money off the books, roughly $1.3M of the $2.5M he agreed to with Oakland per Spotrac. The pickup of Groshans is a bonus for someone Oakland DFA’d a few days earlier.
As for the Yankees, manager Aaron Boone hinted that Davis would be a platoon option against left-handed hitters. “Right-handed bat, so he can fit into a platoon situation,” Boone said after the Yankees’ game on June 23.
Davis can play first and third, both of which could be considered positions of need depending on how one looks at things with the Yankees. Oswaldo Cabrera, despite a hot start, owns just a .620 OPS on the season and is batting .224/.269/.265 against left-handed pitchers. The Yankees also have the recently promoted C/1B Ben Rice, a left-handed hitter. Rice replaced Anthony Rizzo, who’s on the IL, on the MLB roster last week.
Then, there’s also the recent injury to DH Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton is on the IL with a strained hamstring and is not expected to return until the end of July. Thus, there’s room for Davis to fit in.