The New York Yankees announced  Tuesday afternoon that they’ve activated infielder Rougned Odor off the IL. Odor went to the IL after injuring his knee in a home plate collision during a May 4 victory over the Houston Astros.
Although his numbers aren’t great, the Yankees have certainly missed his presence on the field. He’s batting .164 with a .632 OPS, but he’s seemingly come through in many big situations. Each of his four home runs have been game-changers as they’ve both shifted momentum and provided much-needed scoring boosts.
Odor coming back also gives the Yankees some added swagger. He’s one of the fun personalities on the team, and you can tell that he truly loves baseball. His heart and hustle along with his entertaining bat-flips give the Yankees a bit of an emotional boost.
Additionally, Odor returns in a time where the Yankees are starting to struggle with injury issues. The list of players headed to the IL is beginning to lengthen, with the latest additions including outfielders Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton. Gleyber Torres is also sidelined as he received a positive COVID-19 test result last week.
With Torres out in the meantime, it’s expected that Aaron Boone will place Odor back in the lineup against the Texas Rangers this week. Luke Voit will play first-base, while DJ LeMahieu will likely shifting over to third with Gio Urshela moving over to shortstop. That would clear the second-base position for Odor as he really only knows how to play that position.
Game time with the Rangers on Tuesday is scheduled for 8 pm ET on YES Network and ESPN.