The New York Yankees currently have three left-handed-hitting catchers on their 40-man roster in Austin Wells, Ben Rice, and J.C. Escarra.
The small move they made last Wednesday may not fix their left-handedness problem, but it's a start. According to the Yankees' transaction log, the AL East club signed catcher Ali Sanchez to a minor league contract, presumably with an invite to Major League spring training.
Sanchez turns 29 in January and played 12 games during the 2025 season - eight with the Toronto Blue Jays and four with the Boston Red Sox. He made his Major League debut with the New York Mets in 2020.
Sanchez is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster
Unless an injury occurs, Sanchez has an uphill battle to crack the Yankees' Opening Day roster out of spring training. They could continue to pursue a more experienced backstop in free agency or through a trade.
His best chance is to prove to manager Aaron Boone and the rest of New York's coaching staff that he is an above-average defensive catcher. Otherwise, he will likely serve as depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
In 50 career games and 133 plate appearances, Sanchez carries a.183/.220/.233 slash line with no home runs and a.454 OPS. He was the Mets' No. 20-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline ahead of 2020.
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