Fulfilling the expectations after Thursday’s win over the Houston Astros, when third catcher J.C. Escarra was sent back down to the minors, the New York Yankees have activated outfielder Austin Slater from his rehab assignment at Triple-A and called him back up to the big-league club. He’s expected to serve as a right-handed hitting outfield option off the bench.
Slater was one of the many Yankee acquisitions right around the Trade Deadline, coming over in a trade from the Chicago White Sox for pitcher
Gage Ziehl. The former San Francisco Giant, where he spent eight of his nine seasons in the bigs, featured in only three games before succumbing to a hamstring injury in early August.
Sidelined for almost the entire last month, Slater began a rehab assignment a week ago with underwhelming results. However, little to nothing should be taken from his inability to get an extra-base hit in five games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; it was just about getting reps in after weeks of inactivity.
At first glance, Slater’s 2025 numbers indicate a serviceable option, but there is a large difference between how the White Sox used him (hitting against both righties and lefties) and how the Yankees plan on using him (almost strictly against lefties). Slater has been quite productive facing southpaws this season, with an .814 OPS in 81 PA. This is who Slater has been throughout his career, an intriguing platoon option (.795 OPS against LHP).
Barring any late scratches, the Yankees seem likely to face eight straight right-handed starters. It might be a while before we see Slater in any role other than coming off the bench late when a southpaw is on the mound, but when the chips are down, that small substitution can make a world of difference. Just ask former Yankee Eduardo Núñez, who set the tone for the Red Sox/Dodgers World Series in 2018.
