NEW YORK — The Yankees signed veteran outfielder Jay Bruce to a minor league deal, a small step to providing left-handed thump to their righty heavy lineup.
Bruce, 33, is looking to latch on to a big league team for his 14th season. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first reported the deal.
A three-time All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds, Bruce is a career .245/.314/.469 hitter with 318 homers. Once a consistent 30-home run bat, Bruce has spent his thirties as a journeyman, making stops with the Mariners, Phillies and Cleveland, plus two tours with the Mets.
Since getting traded to Philadelphia in 2019, Bruce has struggled at the plate, hitting to just a .212 batting average and .242 OBP across 83 games.
But, Bruce was still a threat for big flies against right-handed pitching in 2020, OPS-ing .821 with six home runs when the southpaw had a platoon advantage.
The Yankees’ projected lineup is expected to feature an elite offensive attack, returning the reigning AL batting champion in DJ LeMahieu and home run king in Luke Voit. But it is arguably imbalanced: only one-hitter, switch-hitting Aaron Hicks, bats from the left side.
Brett Gardner debuted the same year as Bruce and can play center field in a pinch, but the longtime Yankee is 37 years old and is still a free agent. Meanwhile, 2019 standouts Mike Tauchman and Mike Ford struggled in limited time. Bruce could provide at least another option for key matchups.
