Yankees adding impact bat to active roster ahead of Rays series

TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees worked deals to add two right-handed hitters who feast on left-handed pitching just prior to the July 31 trade deadline, then both quickly ended up on the injured list.

Infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario, the more accomplished acquisition, is returning Tuesday after being sidelined for 10 days with a sprained left AC joint.

The transaction will be announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Yankees freed up a roster spot during Monday’s off day by optioning rookie catcher J.C. Escarra to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees acquired Rosario from the Nationals on Jan. 26 for two minor-leaguers, Triple-A reliever Clayton Beeter and Rookie League outfielder Brown Martinez.

Rosario, 29, was injured on Aug. 8 when he crashed into the right field at Yankee Stadium in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss to the Astros.

In four games with the Yankees, one as a starter in right field, the Dominican was 3-for-6 with one RBI in six at-bats against lefties and 0-for-1 with a strikeout in one plate appearance facing a right-hander.

For the season, Rosario is a .277 hitter with five homers and 19 RBI 50 games.

His splits are very telling:

He’s batting .312 in 99 plate appearances against lefties, .226 in 66 times up versus righties.

Rosario probably will come off the bench in this week’s two-game series against the Rays, who are scheduled to start right-handers Shane Baz on Tuesday night and Drew Rasmussen on Wednesday.

Outfielder Austin Slater, the other lefty killer who joined the Yankees in July, strained his left hamstring running out of a groundball in an Aug. 4 game in Texas and isn’t expected back until September. The right-handed hitter was 0-for-7 with four strikeouts in three games with the Yankees.

Slater, 32, was traded by the White Sox to the Yankees on July 30 for A-ball right-hander Gage Ziehl.

Here are other recent NJ.com Yankees posts to check out:

— Yankees pitchers sound off, years after one of joys of game was taken from them

— Yankees added a hated pest, and now it’s true love

— Why is Rob Manfred trying so hard to ruin MLB? | Klapisch

— Giancarlo Stanton tight-lipped on latest health issue that followed return to outfield

–Why Doc Gooden won’t ever cut his Yankees ties | Klapisch

— What Max Fried, Yankees make of his 6-week slump that just got worse

— Elton John has nothing on Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.