KINGSTON, N.Y. — Zack Short’s dream of playing for the New York Yankees ended after the Bronx Bombers traded the former Kingston High baseball star to the Washington Nationals for cash considerations on Tuesday.
The Yankees made the announcement on Tuesday after the 30-year-old Short failed to make the major-league roster even after having a good spring training where he hit .278 in 25 spring plate appearances as he battled for a position on the Yankees’ roster as a utility infielder.
Short will report to the Nationals’ Triple-A franchise in Rochester.
The Hurley native signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees this past winter and was reassigned to the minor-league camp after the Yankees decided to keep Ryan McMahon as their backup shortstop during the absence of injured starting shortstop Anthony Volpe.
Jose Caballero started at shortstop for New York in its final spring training game on Tuesday before the season opener at San Francisco at 8:05 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.
The Nationals are relatively thin on infield depth and Short has experience at second base, shortstop and third base in the majors — more than 300 innings at each position (including 784 at shortstop).
CJ Abrams is the lone established infielder for the Nationals, who finished in fifth place in the National League East in 2025 with a 66-96 record. The Nationals are managed by Blake Butera, who was hired in October 2025 at the age of 33 to become one of the youngest managers in major league history.
The Nationals are projected by most experts to finish in the basement of the National League East again this season.
Short has a lifetime batting average of .172 in 594 plate appearances in the major leagues. He has slugged 15 homers and drove in 67 runs during his career in the big leagues.
He’s played in parts of four major-league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros.
Short has batted .216 in six seasons at the Triple-A level, but sports a .353 on-base percentage at that time.