The New York Yankees will have to make a decision on Mitch Garver.
New York signed veteran catcher Mitch Garver to a minor-league deal on August 7, reported Ted Schwerzler of minnesotasportsfan.com. He was assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and the deal had an opt-out at the end of the month.
Now, following the Yankees’ series against the Boston Red Sox, The New York Post’s Joel Sherman revealed on Sunday that Garver triggered his assignment clause, also known as an upward mobility clause.
By triggering the clause, the other 29 MLB teams have until 3 p.m. ET on Monday to let the Yankees know if they would put Garver on their active roster. Should one team say they would put him on their active roster, the Yankees then have 48 hours to either add Garver to their own active roster or trade him to that interested team.
However, if no team plans to place Garver on their MLB roster, he would remain in the Yankees’ farm system.
Garver is in his 10th MLB season and was named a Silver Slugger in 2023. He also helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series in 2023. In Triple-A, Garver is hitting .179 with 0 home runs and 1 RBI in 8 games.
Yankees ‘Seriously’ Considering Adding Garver to Roster
The Yankees were aware they had to make a decision on Garver soon and are considering promoting him to their 53-man roster.
Sherman reports that New York was contemplating a move even before Garver triggered his clause.
“The Yankees are seriously contemplating whether to bring Mitch Garver to the majors, and are nearing deadlines that will force a decision,” Sherman wrote.
Garver struggled with the Mariners this season; in 50 games, he hit .175 with 4 home runs and 15 RBIs. The poor play led to him being released on Aug. 4.
In his MLB career, Garver has appeared in 702 games, hitting .229 with 110 home runs and 324 RBIs.
New York Takes Season Series Over Red Sox
The Yankees beat Boston 16-1 on Sunday, as New York took three of four games this weekend to win the season series over Boston, 7-6.
“I didn’t realize the full-season series came down to today, too,” said Will Warren, who pitched seven-plus strong innings for the win. “That was huge.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, meanwhile, felt like this series showed how well this team can play.
“It’s about to be September. Let’s go get it,” Boone said. “Let’s go play our best baseball at the right time. I do feel like we’re playing well, and we’re going to have reinforcements continue to trickle in this coming month. Hopefully we’re in a position to play October baseball.”
With the win on Sunday, the Yankees improved to 78-59 but is still 4.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot in the AL East. Yet, the Yankees are firmly atop the AL Wild Card standings.
New York kicks off a six-game road trip on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels.
Yankees 10-Year Veteran Catcher Triggers Assignment Clause After Red Sox Series