Yankees bolster infield depth by signing former Braves slugger

Jared Bloom

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Yankees bolster infield depth by signing former Braves slugger image

After the New York Yankees' season came to an end, the club's shortstop, Anthony Volpe, underwent surgery. The surgery was to repair a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. 

Volpe will now miss the start of the 2026 season. He will not be cleared to swing a bat until mid-February and will not be cleared for everyday baseball activities until mid-April. 

This puts the Yankees in a bit of a tough spot. They will use many of their resources to retain Cody Bellinger during the offseason after Trent Grisham accepted his $22 million qualifying option. 

Yankees bolster infield depth by signing former Braves slugger

Before Wednesday, the Yankees were a little understaffed when it came to infield depth. Their option for shortstop was Jose Caballero, but that has now changed. 

The Bronx Bombers went out and signed Jonathan Ornelas to a minor league deal, via CBS Sports. 

Ornelas originally made a name for himself as a high schooler in Arizona. He committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee, but would forgo that after he was drafted in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. 

He would go on to spend a few years in the minors while playing in a few MLB games before he was traded to the Atlanta Braves back in May. 

Ornelas would go on to play in two games for Atlanta after the trade. He went 2-4 in those two games before being designated for assignment in late September. 

Ornelas will not be a game-changer, but his versatility does provide some excitement. He has experience at second base, third base, shortstop and has played a game in center field. It will be interesting to see what his role with the club looks like during the 2026 season.

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Staff Writer