Andres Chavez
After being designated for assignment and then accepting an outright assignment to the Houston Astros’ Triple-A team in Sugar Land in August, infielder Zack Short elected free agency after the conclusion of the 2025 campaign. In December, he signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees, with an invitation to spring training.
The 30-year-old shortstop knew that he had a chance to secure a good place in the organizational depth chart because of Anthony Volpe’s injury. He ended up having a nice spring, but the Yankees got rid of him anyway. Still, they didn’t send him to the minors or release him: they traded him to another squad.
“The New York Yankees today announced that they have traded INF Zack Short to the Washington Nationals in exchange for cash considerations,” the organization wrote via X.
Short Had A Nice Spring But It Wasn’t Meant To Be
Short did his part. He had an amazing stint in the Grapefruit League this year, hitting .278/.480/.333 with a 139 wRC+ in 25 plate appearances. The power wasn’t there, but he showed a keen eye at the plate and a willingness to walk, resulting in some gaudy numbers over a short sample.
Still, with the Yankees deciding to employ Ryan McMahon as their backup shortstop during Volpe’s absence, it became clear that Short wasn’t making the roster. The organization also has Oswaldo Cabrera, Paul DeJong, Max Schuemann, and others, so trading Short and giving him an opportunity elsewhere didn’t sound like a bad idea.
Short, 30, is a career .172 hitter in 594 plate appearances, with a 59 wRC+. He has a negative -1.5 fWAR in parts of five MLB seasons, and even though he has some power (15 career homers in 243 games) and speed (10 stolen bases), his overall offensive output just isn’t enough to justify a spot on the major league roster for the Yankees.
The Nationals Value The Organizational Depth
Short has played second base, third base, shortstop, center field, right field, and even pitcher over the course of his MLB career, so the Nationals obviously value his versatility and experience.
Short has already been assigned to the Nationals’ Triple-A team, and his path towards getting a call to MLB and actually playing some games there is much clearer in Washington than in the Yankees.
He was always a depth signing for New York, and on Tuesday, they made use of that depth to bring in some cash. There just isn’t enough room for all the middle infielders in MLB and Scranton at the moment to guarantee playing time, even in the latter.
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