5 New York Yankees players who won’t be on the roster next season

4) Isiah Kiner-Falefa will not be on the Yankees roster next season

The trade the Yankees made to acquire Frankie Montas was bad, but the trade they made when they acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa was worse. Granted, the worst part of the deal was the inclusion of Josh Donaldson and his large contract, but IKF was brought in to be their stopgap at shortstop and he had an underwhelming 2022.

Kiner-Falefa was expected to play in a utility role this season but due to the bevy of injuries the Yankees have dealt with, the 28-year-old has appeared in 103 games (80 starts). The results have been subpar.

Kiner-Falefa is slashing .247/.312/.353 with six home runs and 35 RBI in 328 plate appearances. He has an OPS+ of 82, making him considerably below-average as a hitter.

The Yankees had IKF learn how to play the outfield this season, and it hasn't gone very well as he has a -4 DRS in 532.1 innings in the three outfield spots. He's a fine defensive infielder, but the Yankees have several infielders capable of rotating all over the place with Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera, and DJ LeMahieu. The Yankees could use a fourth outfielder, mainly one that can play center field, but IKF isn't really that.

The journeyman is set to hit free agency this offseason, and will likely find a role elsewhere that better suits him while the Yankees find a better bench piece to suit their needs.