There's a lot for New York Yankees fans to be excited about. Juan Soto is having all kinds of trouble with their crosstown rivals, and the team's 27-19 record is good enough for first place in the AL East. With that being said, the roster construction is far from perfect. A guy like Pablo Reyes being on the team is a perfect example of that. In fact, it wouldn't be shocking to see Reyes off the active roster by the time the calendar flips to June.
Reyes' odds of making the team were slim after he signed a minor league deal over the offseason, but injuries to both DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton opened a glaring need for a right-handed bat. Reyes has been up on the major league roster all year, but he hasn't played much and when he's been on the field, hasn't played well.
Given that, it's time for the Yankees to try something else.
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It's time for the Yankees to cut bait with Pablo Reyes
Reyes has appeared in 19 games for the Yankees this season, and he's started only five of them. He's started only twice in May and was pulled early both times. The Yankees have played 48 games as of this writing. Why Reyes must be on the roster when he rarely sees the field despite the team's shortage in the infield and hasn't done much of anything when given an opportunity is a question only the Yankees can really answer.
The 31-year-old has just four hits (all singles) in 25 at-bats. He has struck out in a third of his 27 plate appearances and has drawn two walks. Despite rarely seeing the field, he's been worth -0.5 bWAR.
There are some positive qualities Reyes offers. He doesn't chase much and can play several positions. Unfortunately, that's about it.
While there can be value in rostering a guy who can play all over the diamond, is it worthwhile if he isn't hitting at all? Reyes' value on this team is that he's a right-handed hitter. Well, while he's hit left-handed pitching pretty well in his career, Reyes is just 2-for-14 against southpaws this year. Does it really matter that he's right-handed if he isn't hitting lefties?
Admittedly, it's tough to pick out a replacement (which is likely why he's still on the roster to begin with), but it's time for the Yankees to try something new, especially with them refusing to play Reyes anyway.