The Yankees are finally bringing Estevan Florial up, according to NJ.com. All it took was a rash of injuries and Aaron Hicks hitting new lows.
Florial, 24, has been raking at the Triple-A level in Scranton. He’s batting .282 with 14 home runs, 37 RBI and 32 stolen bases. He was briefly with the big league club for a few days in May, back when it was rolling. And now he returns to a club in freefall.
If the Yankees have seen enough of Hicks, Florial could step right in as the centerfielder until Harrison Bader returns. And even then he could battle for platoon work. It would make sense for the Yankees to start giving Hicks the Joey Gallo treatment and phase him out of the lineup; they clearly cannot wait for Bader to return from his foot injury.
The Yankees had to do something to provide a jolt to their struggling lineup. Bader is not the only missing piece. They are also are trying to bridge the gap with injuries to Matt Carpenter, Giancarlo Stanton and, it looks like, DJ LeMahieu. The latter could end up heading to the IL to make room for Florial on the roster.
It’s been a big day for minor league promotions in town. The Mets called up prized prospect Brett Baty earlier Tuesday. He will see at-bats with third baseman Luis Guillorme out 4-6 weeks with a groin injury.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
