While big-name moves like Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso have dominated the headlines around Major League Baseball this week, there has been lots of other player movement.
The New York Yankees didn’t add any players to their major league roster during the winter meetings, but they were active during the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. In addition, a veteran shortstop who had spent the season in the Yankees organization picked a new destination.
Six-year major league veteran and Bronx native Andrew Velazquez was better-known by Yankees fans in 2021, when he appeared in games down the stretch for the major league club, but he played virtually the entire season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year. But after never advancing to the big-league roster, Velazquez sought new opportunities in free agency.
On Monday, Velazquez signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, per the official transactions log on his MLB.com roster page. The transaction was not reflected on the page until sometime on Wednesday.
In 106 Triple-A games this year, Velazquez had a .242/.304/.345 slash line, five home runs, 41 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. He’s entering his age-31 season and has not appeared in a major league game since 2023.
Outside of his brief major league stint with the Yankees, Velazquez has played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Angels in the big leagues. He has minor-league stints under his belt with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves.
The Yankees and Rangers have also now flip-flopped Triple-A shortstops in a year’s time, as 25-year-old Jonathan Ornelas signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees in November after Texas traded him for cash in May.
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