The New York Yankees are already loaded with infielders in their farm system. But that didn’t stop them from adding another on Saturday.
Saturday morning the New York Yankees announced that they have acquired infielder Wendall Rijo from the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Yankees have acquired INF Wendell Rijo from the Milwaukee Brewers as the player to be named later in the 5/25 trade that sent C Erik Kratz to Milwaukee. Rijo will be assigned to Single-A Tampa.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) June 16, 2018
Rijo is the final piece of the trade that sent veteran catcher Erik Kratz to the Brewers in a deal that was made back on May 25.
The 22-year-old is slashing .200 with 4 home runs, and 14 RBI in 32 games in Double-A this season. He’s a career .240 hitter in the minor leagues, Rijo is clearly still trying to figure it out down on the farm. Perhaps his struggles in Double-A is the reason why the Yanks decided to send him down to Single-A.
Rijo has seen time over at shortstop and second base throughout his minor league career, making just 54 errors in his six years in the minors.
The Yankees will mark the third organization that Rijo will play for. Prior to going to Milwaukee, he spent parts of six seasons in the Boston Red Sox’s organization. He was traded to Milwaukee as a part of the Aaron Hill trade when Boston sent two prospects to Milwaukee back in 2016.
Now in the Yankees’ system, Rijo will have to prove himself to the team that he is more than just a .200 hitter. With the depth that the Yankees have at his position, this is vital. Gleyber Torres and Didi Gregorius will not be going anywhere anytime soon, and the team also has highly touted prospect Thairo Estrada lurking.
The expectations for Rijo won’t be high, and when it comes to athletes sometimes that’s perfect. Just look at the Yankees in 2016. There were no expectations and they made it to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Maybe Rijo turns into a solid player and one day has an impact on the Yankees roster.
Only time will tell.
