In a move to bolster a roster decimated by injuries, the New York Yankees announced Thursday they had signed three-time All-Star Matt Carpenter.
Carpenter will make his Yankees debut on Thursday night as a designated hitter. He was listed as batting eighth in the line-up for their game against the Tampa Bay Rays, replacing Aaron Hicks, who was scratched due to hamstring tightness.
In 1,329 games with the Cardinals over 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Carpenter batted .262 with 155 home runs and 576 RBIs. He was named an All-Star in 2013, 2014, and 2016 and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2013. While he mostly played third base, he also played first base and second base on occasion. The 36-year-old struggled offensively in his final three seasons with the Cardinals, batting .203 with 22 home runs between 2019 and 2021.
Carpenter had joined the Texas Rangers on a minor league deal but was released last week. He had batted .275 with six home runs and 19 RBIs in 21 games with Triple-A Round Rock, where he mostly played first base.
This could be Carpenter’s last hurrah in the big leagues and there are many worse places he could be than in New York City with the AL-leading Yankees. It certainly sounds like he’s excited about the opportunity.
“I told them, if they want me to load the bags on the plane, I’ll do it.”
[ESPN]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.