Former Rays infielder rejoins rival Yankees as veteran utility option

9-year veteran infielder Amed Rosario will be entering his age-30 season. He has made appearances on 7 different clubs throughout his career. The Dominican shortstop seemed like a mainstay in the Cleveland middle infield in 2021 and 2022, but a rough 2023 campaign left him searching for a job and ultimately a new role. In 2022, Rosario accumulated the fourth-best WAR on a strong Guardians team, trailing only Andres Gimenez, Jose Ramirez, and Gold Glove outfielder Steven Kwan. However, his defense has declined rapidly as of late, and the contact-first nature of his offense can only go so far in a power-heavy MLB. Therefore, he's embracing the utility role and the Yankees are eager to plug him in when needed.

Amed Rosario only made one short stint with the Rays in 2024 after they signed him to a free agency contract worth $1.5 million. His bat came through as the Santo Domingo native slashed .307/.331/.417 in 76 games with Tampa Bay. Despite the strong showing, the Rays dealt him to the Dodgers for starting pitcher Michael Flynn.

Rosario bounced around to the Reds and Nationals before joining the Rays fiercest rival. The Yankees' infield situation is nowhere near ideal with Volpe in the "hot seat" and Chisolm receiving trade buzz. The Yankees use for a player like Amed Rosario may evolve as the season progresses and certain players fail to meet expectations.

A season ago, New York only plugged him into the lineup for 16 games, so they're hoping to utilize his services more frequently in 2026. Immediately after the 2025 World Series, the right-handed contact hitter elected free agency to test his luck with the market. Although, the Yankees snatched him up again on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. According to a recent Sports Illustrated article, Brian Cashman stressed the importance of adding more right-handed hitters to their lineup as their roster contains a plethora of lefties in Austin Wells, Jazz Chisolm Jr., and newly acquired Ryan McMahon.

Even more importantly, the Yankees are inspired by the veteran's clubhouse presence as he was given the moniker, "vibes guy" by famous New York podcast, Talkin' Yanks. With those two key contributions, Rosario became an easy low risk, high reward option early in this offseason. Rays fan can enjoy seeing their former utility man in pinstripes when they face off against their rivals next season.