While New York Yankees fans wait for the team’s next big move, they’ll have to enjoy an unexpected reunion that will unfortunately remind them of the agonizing 2021 season that ended with a loss at Fenway Park.
On Friday, the Yankees welcomed back shortstop Andrew Velazquez on a minor-league deal. Remember him? The Bronx native! Squid! He was your starting shortstop for the 2021 AL Wild Card Game against the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees lost that game 6-2 in a matchup between Gerrit Cole and Nathan Eovaldi. Velazquez, who got the start at shortstop after DJ LeMahieu was ruled out for the season with hernia surgery and Gleyber Torres pouted his way back into the starting second base job, spent three years away from the Yankees following that day.
He signed with the LA Angels the following offseason and spent parts of two seasons there, but didn’t see much success. He hit just .191 with a .542 OPS across 179 games and only brought his slick glove as an asset.
After that run ended, he signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves and spent the entire 2024 season at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Squid’s game has returned. Andrew Velazquez has signed a minor league deal with the Yankees. It includes an invite to spring training. The Bronx born infielder played for the Yanks in 2021.
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) January 3, 2025
Yankees News: Andrew Velazquez returns to New York on minor-league contract
Velazquez should serve as Triple-A depth, as well as an emergency option should disaster strike on the injury front for the Yankees. His familiarity is a positive here, but other than that, there’s not much else to harp on beyond his reliable defense.
The 30-year-old hit .242 with a .692 OPS in the minor leagues with the Braves last year, and struck out an alarming 157 times in 118 games. He also logged a dreadful .298 on-base percentage.
Velazquez saw just 28 regular season games during his time with the Yankees before getting that playoff start. He was yanked from the game after one at-bat once the Yankees swiftly went down 3-0. He’ll have a much different role this time around, since the Yankees aren’t in roster purgatory like they were from 2020-2023.
We’d like to banish 2021 from our memories, even if Velazquez was one of the more heartwarming aspects of that year.