

The New York Yankees added a potentially interesting bat during Thursday’s off day.
The team claimed outfielder Bryan de la Cruz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre.
The Yankees also put Giancarlo Stanton (double tennis elbows) on the 60-day injured list to make room for Cruz on the 40-man roster. The earliest Stanton could return is May 24.
De la Cruz, 28, has shown pop in the majors, hitting 19 homers in 2023 and 21 in 2024. The Yankees don’t need a starting outfielder immediately, but they might have been looking for a right-handed complement to Jasson Domínguez in left field.
Earlier today, the Yankees claimed OF Bryan de la Cruz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have transferred DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day injured list.— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 1, 2025
Domínguez, a 22-year-old switch-hitting rookie, has been excellent from the left side (.872 OPS, 63 plate appearances) and terrible from the right side (.391 OPS, 41 plate appearances). A righty hitter, de la Cruz has a career .311 on-base percentage and .697 OPS vs. lefties in the majors.
Teams have spent the season trying to exploit the Yankees’ lefty-heavy lineup. Their 228 plate appearances against lefty relievers are the most in the majors, well ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs at 191.
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It was unclear if de la Cruz would remain minor-league depth for the Yankees, who have mostly been playing Everson Pereira in left field at Triple A. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was expected to have an MRI on Thursday on the right oblique he injured as the Yankees faced the Baltimore Orioles on the road this week. If Chisholm must go on the injured list, the Yankees could add de la Cruz in his place.
The move didn’t mean much for Stanton’s timeline. The Yankees have not yet said when he might begin a rehabilitation assignment, though he’s recently been hitting against a high-velocity pitching machine and performing light running workouts.
The Braves had demoted de la Cruz to Triple A when they called up ex-Yankee Alex Verdugo on April 17.
(Photo of Bryan de la Cruz: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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