Yankees lose speedy utility man to free agency with post-season roster spot unlikely

The New York Yankees are getting close to naming their 26-man playoff roster, but one familiar face won’t be on it, speedy utilityman, Tyler Wade.

Wade started his 2022 season with the Los Angeles Angels but was acquired by the Yankees in July. He was unable to crack the roster, after playing 67 games with LA, hitting .218 with a 27.2% on-base rate, one homer, and eight RBIs. He did steal seven bases in that time span, showcasing some value.

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The Yankees had no need for Tyler Wade, unfortunately:

However, the Yankees didn’t feel the need to utilize him with Oswaldo Cabrera dominating in the outfield as a rookie and plenty of options to choose from in the infield.

The 27-year-old had surprising success with the Bombers in 2021, hitting .268 with a 35.4% on-base rate over 103 games. He failed to hit a homer, but did score five RBIs and stole 17 bases, which was one of the best numbers on the team.

With Triple-A this year, Wade hit .227 with a 35.3% on-base rate, four homers, 16 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. It is possible Wade finds himself back on a major league roster at some point in time, but his main asset is speed, and with the Yankees taking a more aggressive approach on the base paths, they didn’t necessarily need to allocate a roster spot to him.