The New York Yankees may be bringing back a player who debuted for them before the pandemic.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Saturday that the Yankees are among the teams with interest in signing veteran infielder Thairo Estrada. The 28-year-old Estrada had been with the San Francisco Giants for the last four MLB seasons.
Estrada, a righty hitter, was a Yankees farm system product who played his first two MLB seasons in 2019 and 2020 for them. It took him until after he left New York to blossom (including a 14-home-run, 49-RBI, 23-stolen-base season for the Giants in 2023). But Estrada made just 96 appearances last season for the Giants thanks to a wrist injury followed by ineffective play that led to him being outrighted by San Francisco in late August.
A career .251 hitter who hit .217 in 2024, Estrada might now be getting a lifeline from his original MLB team. He mainly plays second base, where the Yankees have a hole right now with Gleyber Torres in free agency himself. Estrada could also be an inexpensive component of the Yankees’ reported backup plan for if Juan Soto leaves.
