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Confusion is reigning with New York Yankees fans following a report by MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams that the team is releasing outfielder Rafael Ortega.
Ortega, signed to a minor league contract by the Yankees this offseason, had an opt-out clause in the deal if he did not make the major league roster.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has yet to announce the team’s final roster, as Ortega was battling with Willie Calhoun and Estevan Florial for a backup outfielder role.
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Many New York Yankees fans were unhappy with the report. While Ortega will not be confused with Aaron Judge, he was a reliable .250 hitter over six major league seasons with five different teams. He played 221 games with the Chicago Cubs over the past two years, hitting .265 with 18 home runs and 68 RBIs, while providing solid defense.
Estevan Florial, a Yankees farm product, has hit just .185 in 29 games over three major league seasons, while Willie Calhoun hit .135 in 22 games with the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants last season.
The confusion in Yankee Nation pretains to who has been released, if anyone. As noted, the New York Yankees have yet to put out a final opening day roster. Earlier reports on Tuesday declared that the team was retaining Ortega and dropping Florial.
While it came as a bit of a surprise that the Cubs did not retain Ortega, who performed admirably for a rebuilding club, it is even more of a surprise that the Yankees would entertain releasing him given the state of the team’s outfield.
Center fielder Harrison Bader will miss opening Day due to an oblique strain, while likely left fielder Aaron Hicks’ tendency to not get hits has Yankees fans ready to dump him in the Hudson River.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be the New York Yankees without a fan base full of angst and hatred.
New York Yankees considering a pre-opening day trade
Time is drawing short, but according to reports on Monday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has not ruled out making a trade before opening day on Thursday.
The team has serious injury-based deficiencies in the outfield, as well as the starting staff, while it does seem to boast a surplus of middle infielders now that rookie Anthony Volpe has been named the Yankees’ opening day shortstop.
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