The New York Yankees reunited with infielder Amed Rosario on Saturday afternoon, signing the 30-year-old to a one-year deal. The contract is worth $2.5 million.
The Yankees first acquired Rosario at the 2025 trade deadline. The team sent prospects Clayton Beeter and Brown Martinez to the Washington Nationals in exchange for the nine-year veteran. In 46 games for the Nationals, Rosario hit .270 with 18 RBI.
After his July 2025 trade to the Yankees, Rosario appeared in 16 regular-season games and four postseason games. In those 20 games, he only saw 43 plate appearances. However, he made the most of them, batting .302 with six RBI.
While not the flashiest move, the Yankees desperately needed to re-sign a righty like Rosario. Of the 15 hitters on their roster, only Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Caballero, and Anthony Volpe bat right-handed. Volpe, though, will likely miss the first month of the season. Without Rosario, this would create a glaring dependency on left-handed batters, as only a third of the Yankees’ batting order would be right-handed hitters.
Last season, Rosario dominated lefties, batting .302 against the group with an .819 OPS in 116 at-bats. Excluding Rosario, the Yankees hit .255 against such pitchers in 2025.
Plenty of Playing Time
Rosario likely won’t be an everyday infielder for the Yankees in 2026, hence his inexpensive contract. Rather, the expectation is that he platoons at third base with fellow 2025 trade deadline acquisition Ryan McMahon.
It is certainly possible that the Yankees also play Rosario at shortstop, especially since he has 496 career games at the position under his belt. He hasn’t played shortstop since 2022, but if Caballero needs rest, the Yankees might not have another option while Volpe is out.
Rosario made his major league debut in 2017 as a member of the New York Mets. He spent four seasons in Queens before the Mets sent him to the Cleveland Guardians in the infamous Francisco Lindor trade of 2021. He enjoyed three good seasons in Cleveland, highlighted by his 2022 breakout season that saw him notch a career high 4.1 WAR.
At the 2023 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Rosario in exchange for Noah Syndergaard. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays the following offseason, before being traded to the Dodgers again at the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for prospect Michael Flynn. He played five games for the Dodgers that season before the team designated him for assignment. The Cincinnati Reds, though, claimed him off waivers for the remainder of the 2024 season. He then signed with the Nationals the following offseason.
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