New York Yankees’ recent signee Marwin Gonzalez, who inked a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, made the major league Opening Day roster and will open the season with the big league club.
The team announced the respective roster moves: they selected Gonzalez to the 40-man roster and signed him to a major league contract, they designated outfielder Jeisson Rosario for assignment, and they placed catcher Ben Rortvedt on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain.
Today, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
• Selected INF/OF Marwin Gonzalez to the 40-man roster and signed him to a Major League contract.
• Designated OF Jeisson Rosario for assignment.
• Placed C Ben Rortvedt on the 10-day I.L. with a right oblique muscle strain.— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) April 7, 2022
Rortvedt, who came over from the Minnesota Twins in the deal that netted the Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, was already injured with the Bombers acquired, but they decided to wait for him, as they see him as an important piece in the catching puzzle, together with projected starter Kyle Higashioka.
To cover for Rortvedt’s absence, the Yankees traded for Jose Trevino, a defensive-minded backup catcher.
Gonzalez earned a spot with the Yankees
As for Gonzalez, he earned his spot on the roster with his excellent play during spring training. The former Houston Astros’ utilityman slashed .375/.400/.792 with an impressive 1.192 OPS, and he was second in RBI with 10.
Marwin also hit four extrabase hits for the Yankees in Grapefruit League play: one double and three home runs, scoring five runs in the process. His nine-game cameo was enough to impress manager Aaron Boone and give him a spot, taking advantage of the expanded rosters for the first month of the season.
Gonzalez could be a valuable utility piece for the Yankees, as he is able to play all around the diamond and has plenty of experience in several positions. With the bat, he hasn’t been great in the last couple of seasons, but his best year, 2017, saw him produce a .303/.377/.530 line with a .907 OPS, although those numbers happened to come in the year of the sign-stealing scandal.
Nevertheless, Gonzalez showed he can still carry some offensive potential, and his versatility gave him the edge over other options.