Harrison Bader finally looks ready to make his Yankees debut, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News) that Bader will “likely” be activated from the 60-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game against the Pirates. Bader played the sixth game of a minor league rehab assignment today with Double-A Somerset.
Bader’s last Major League appearance was back on June 26, before he was sidelined due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Even while Bader was still on the mend, the Yankees acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline in exchange for Jordan Montgomery. The swap has already become infamous in the view of many Bronx fans, considering that Bader has yet to even take the field for New York while Montgomery has pitched well in St. Louis.
The Yankees’ 24-30 record since the All-Star break has led to some general unrest amongst the fanbase, though the team still has a 5.5-game lead in the AL East. If Bader is recovered and able to play at his usual level, however, there will be a lot less second-guessing given Bader’s proven defensive excellence. He is the reigning NL Gold Glove winner in center field, and even with his foot problems hampering his play this season, Bader still has a +9.6 UZR/150 and +6 Outs Above Average over 588 2/3 innings in center.
Offense has been a bit more of a question mark for Bader, who slashed .256/.303/.370 over 264 plate appearances with the Cardinals this season. But, it is also quite possible the injury also impacted Bader at the plate, as he was an above-average hitter (111 wRC+) in both 2020 and 2021.
Bader went into detail about his health situation in an interview with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal earlier this week, saying that his foot issues first arose during Spring Training. Between both the plantar fasciitis and the swelling of the bone marrow edema, Bader had to cut an initial rehab assignment (back when he was still a Cardinal) short in July after one minor league game. Now, Bader believes he is ready to return, even if his right foot is still “a little uncomfortable.”
Aaron Judge’s all-timer of a season has helped paper over a Yankees outfield that has struggled as a whole, with Judge even getting some time in center field rather than his usual spot in right field. Aaron Hicks and the now-traded Joey Gallo both struggled, and deadline pickup Andrew Benintendi played only 33 games in the pinstripes before undergoing hamate surgery, putting Benintendi’s availability for the rest of the regular season in doubt.
The Yankees have addressed their outfield needs by giving Giancarlo Stanton some time in right field, and they’re also turned to a wide array of experienced and younger players (i.e. Miguel Andujar, Estevan Florial, Marwin Gonzalez, Tim Locastro, Oswaldo Cabrera, Matt Carpenter) to eat some innings on the grass. In theory, Bader will play just about every day, though he’ll likely get some rest against some right-handed pitchers to help manage any lingering foot soreness he might have after missing so much of the season.
That leaves less playing time for everyone else, including Hicks. Even after two hits and a home run in today’s victory over the Brewers, Hicks is batting only .216/.327/.308 over 420 PA this season. While the outfielder has been healthy after several injury-plagued years, he hasn’t shown much of the offensive form that he delivered over his first four seasons in New York (123 wRC+ from 2017-20) when he was able to play.
Hicks is owed $30.5MM from 2023-25, but there has already been speculation that the Yankees could be looking to move on if a trade can be arranged. For his part, Hicks acknowledged the struggles in an interview with The New York Post’s Dan Martin, saying “things are tough in New York. I don’t have an answer. If they feel this isn’t the right fit for me, that’s their call. If I do go to another team, I know I can help them win.”
Hicks has no issue in stepping aside for Bader, saying “I expect [Bader] to come in and start playing every day, as he should. He got traded here to help us win. We need him to be himself to win a World Series.” That said, Hicks also felt his struggles weren’t being helped by a lack of playing time: “It’s extremely hard when I play a game and then I’m off for three days and now there’s another outfielder out there…As of right now, I feel the more I play, the better I’m gonna play. That’s not what’s going on right now.”
It all adds up to a tough Catch-22 for Hicks — he may not be able to hit better without steady at-bats, and yet his lack of production isn’t making a case for that regular playing time. Looking ahead to 2023, Hicks said he is planning to add some bulk, after losing weight last offseason in the wake of wrist surgery.
“I wanted to get faster and healthy, but me playing at 200 pounds isn’t it. I haven’t been impacting the ball like I wanted to,” Hicks said. “It’s really showed, with my power down. I wanted to be quicker and it didn’t work out that way.”
Hicks’ wisdom really shows in his statements…. He isn’t living in reality, bottom line. The day he vacates his roster spot will be an automatic win for Yankees Nation.
What should he say? He has to be positive. “Yeah, I really suck ss a hitter and should consider another profession” may be “reality” to a fan but a horrible attitude for someone trying to improve at the most difficult thing in sports.
Okay, I’ll oblige, assuming your question was serious:
1) He speaks of developing power to “impact the ball” more. His swing is horrible and has nothing to do with building muscle or power. He rotates over the ball, constantly trying to pull it and hit HRs, usually hitting the obligatory grounder
2) He says how hard it is to get better without starting everyday, when up to this point, he’s been the starting CFer since he was brought in by the Yankees. In fact, he was only finally removed after he dropped a fly ball that landed in his glove, and he sulked with his head down – while Tampa runners rounded the bases, scored, and the ball sat on the field of play. He also misplayed two other plays on defense in that game alone.
So, perhaps he could be more honest and not blame factors that have nothing to do with why he sucks. *That’s not keeping a positive attitude, that’s denial.*
Most professionals say, “I’ve been working hard to support the team and get ready for when I’m needed”
So, he should have said “yeah, I really suck as a hitter and probably always will”? Not exactly a positive approach to trying to master the most difficult thing in sports.
I never said that. He should admit where he’s failing or what he needs to work on, not blame the Yankees (which he did via the playing time comment) when he’s had since 2018 to prove he doesn’t suck. Again, he’s not being positive, he’s shifting blame.
And, if you’ve played sports at any higher level you’d realize: if this is his mentality he will never improve because he can’t acknowledge where the improvements need to be made. It’s a recipe for continued failure, which is why he continues to fail and get worse.
I believe Clipper’s comment about Hicks’ wisdom – or lack thereof – has more to do with his statement about needing to bulk up for next season. That is truly absurd. Hicks managed to stay healthy this season for the first time in five years, in large part because he slimmed down. His hitting problem has nothing to do with his bulk, and everything to do with his terrible approach.
Actually I think Hicks statements showed a lot of maturity. Recognizing his role, knowing that the better player should get more playing time, and having a plan to succeed in the future.
Average Commenter: I agree with the first part of that. It’s the follow-up part that every Yankees fan who has seen/followed Hicks knows is garbage. Of course, he had to know this was coming, he’s been terrible for a long time now and has never earned this contract. He also knows his defense is bad now too, which is half of this equation.
Is the walking boot included? Or will he leave it at home? I miss Monty.
Jordan Montgomery lost his last two games.
By giving up 4 runs and 3 runs. Not exactly terrible. Could he have been better, yes but he didn’t completely suck
It’s doesn’t matter I still miss him.
Feel bad for all his injuries, but when that contract was signed….there was a “wait what….?” type of reaction around baseball…..
As for his reality….? He gets @30 million guaranteed over the next few years and will more than likely get a few more years at a reduced rate, but still good $…
His reality is faaar from the average poster here on MLBTR
As for him moving on…you know you are correct..
I’m reading that he doesn’t want a bench role and is asking for a trade this offseason. If he doesn’t want to be here, just let him go. Same applies to Andujar. I understand how they both must feel. Don’t really need that attitude within the org.
YBC: That’s another good point, my friend. If anyone could use the argument that his hitting was negatively affected by a lack of consistent ABs & play, and therefore he underperformed, it would be Florial, who flourished in AAA. Then Andujar too… Yet, Hicks, of all people, has the audacity to use that excuse? Man, he’s just completely disconnected.
@Clip He’s essentially been relegated to Brett Gardner’s role last season and has had a difficult time adjusting. The timing of his statements is odd as his team is pursuing a division title and it’s undermining the efforts of his teammates. He could’ve waited to say those things behind closed doors after the WS. This is developing into a Sonny Gray situation unfortunately imo.
Well, when he packs on 20lbs of muscle those soft ground-puts should turn into… hard ground-outs!
Although, I’m not sure what the extra muscle will do for his swing an misses though(?). Maybe he can look more muscular while striking out perhaps?
Yankees fans will love Bader. He catches all the balls in CF and has a decent bat even clutch at times. We miss him in the Cardinals outfield already even though Monty has been really solid.
“If Bader is recovered and able to play at his usual level, however, there will be a lot less second-guessing given Bader’s proven defensive excellence.”
I trust that my fellow Yankee fans remember how Joey Gallo’s defensive excellence was touted when he was acquired, after having won a Gold Glove in 2020. If Bader can’t hit better than Joey, his arrival in the Bronx will not be well-received. I hope he can contribute on both sides of the ball.
“Aaron Judge’s all-timer of a season has helped paper over a Yankees outfield that has struggled as a whole, with Judge even getting some time in center field rather than his usual spot in right field.”
Judge has played 194.2 more innings in center field than in right field this year.
As a cardinals fans trust me on the fact Yankee fans will not be disappointed in Bader’s defense
I really like Bader and there is no doubt he’s a great player. If the lineup hits his offense won’t be problematic, but that’s a big IF.
Offense notwithstanding, Bader was one of my favorite Cardinals to watch, so I look forward to his tenure in pinstripes, especially if it means an end to the Hicksian era.
Bader is nothing like Joey Gallo. Everyone knew when Gallo was acquired he would strike out 200 plus times a year, but expected 40 home runs playing half his games in the Bronx. They were half right, he struck out 44% of the time and his defense was not as good as advertised. Bader was not acquired for his offense, yet he strikes out 25% of the time. He also will hit .250 which in this version of base ball is considered good.
Yankees needs hitting not fielding,,,they pitch decent but do not hit at the playoff
Harrison Bader will help the OF defense, improve the offense some and run the bases .
we need darth bader because hicks’ bat has been colder than ice planet hoth
*posted from mom’s basement
He’s just terrible, man. I wish Hicks were the best CFer in MLB, but he’s likely the worst. His hitting is horrible, is fielding is average, at best, for LF, and he doesn’t even go all-out in pop ups like the foul ball in today’s game.
Bader has a very low bar to overcome. But, fortunately Bader is well-known as an excellent CFer. And, as recited in today’s game, that’s the *only position * at which the Yankees have negative fielding value. Bader can’t arrive soon enough.
Oh, and tell your mom I said, Hi! Wait, that came across wrong.
Excellent point that someone made about Gallo being toted as an excellent defender when he came to the Yankees. For certain people coming to the Yankees sucks their career dry. Other people like a Nick Swisher embraced it.
One thing that stood out in Bader’s comments is his foot still feels “uncomfortable”. If that is the case, why come back now?
As a Cardinal fan, I can say that Bader’s stint with the Cardinals was an exercise in frequent injuries, stalled offensive development, and flashes of times where his hitting and fielding came together just long enough to keep fans invested in him.
It did feel like it was time for a change of scenery for him when the deal was made. I really hope he’s able to put the injuries behind him and play 140 games a year, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. I would probably offer up this advice: be ready for the long IL stints. He’s a good player albeit inconsistent.
I didn’t realize that his injury problems were that bad. Consulting Spotrac, I noted that each of his four IL stints were for different injuries: hamstring, arm, ribs and foot.
That last one should’ve given Cashman pause, since so much of Bader’s game is about speed. But Cashman, ever the foolish bargain shopper, apparently hopes for the best with injuries instead of planning for the worst; hence, Montas gets sent for an MRI after Cashman knew he’d been shut down for shoulder pain before he acquired him.
In a perfect world where, let’s say, Bader was a consistently healthy player and perhaps a little less of a streaky hitter, he would be worth even more in a deal. He may still get there and I hope he does, he’s an excellent team player and clubhouse presence.
I know a lot of people are critical of Monty saying what he said, however, he only confirmed what many Yankee fans were already saying for awhile. I mean if the Yankee brass doesn’t listen to the fans concerns, they should certainly listen to the players, especially the outgoing players who say something is amiss in the way the staff is coaching or preparing said players.
I’m sorry all of these deadline trades have seemingly backfired for you guys. Hopefully they’ll still pan out in 2023 and beyond.
Good, then just DFA Hicks, trade Torres and Peraza for a number 2 starter next season, then sign Verlander and Yankees will have improved
I don’t think they need to straight up release Hicks. If the Yankees eat about $20M and attach a couple of low-level minor leaguers, they can get an interesting prospect back. Torres and Peraza alone aren’t going to fetch a #2. Torres’ arb salary also won’t be cheap next season. I think JV resigns with Houston. The priority should be quickly finding out what they want to do with Judge bc it shapes the team’s entire offseason plans.
I think Cohen signs Verlander to a 3-year 90MM deal
Naaw… My money is on JV topping Scherzer’s AAV after attainable incentives.
Will be interesting to see if, and how much Verlander’s spin rate and stats go down if he does in fact leave Houston
Why would his spin rate decline away from Houston? Do you suppose the Astros have some kind of crooked arrangement with the umps and they’re not checking him for foreign substances in Houston? If so, then why does he have an identical 1.78 ERA at home and on the road?
My pet grasshopper, Jumpy, just made his longest jump ever at five feet!
Don’t grasshoppers have six feet? What did you do to the little guy???
Lololol …
I like my centerfielders to have two healthy feet. I mean, they may have to run or something.
And last I heard, having bad feet can affect hitting ((looking at 10yrs of foot problems (plantar fasciitis) for Albert Pujols)) who runs like he’s 60, albeit he’s crushing dingers for his career curtain call.
Wishing Bader the best, but this foot problem is frequently quite chronic, so my hopes aren’t high, but thanks for sending us Monty.
You’re welcome. I’m cool like that
Luke Voit suffered from plantar fasciitis too while with the Yankees. When he returned to action he ended up having other issues but his foot issues have not returned so were not chronic in his regard.