On Sunday, the New York Yankees announced their acquisition of veteran corner infielder J.D. Davis from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league infielder Jordan Groshans. Davis, who was recently designated for assignment by the Athletics, had been made available for trade within the five-day window teams have before being required to place such players on waivers under Major League Baseball rules.
Davis, 31, appeared in 39 games for the Athletics, batting .236/.304/.366 (96 OPS+) with four home runs and five RBIs. Prior to his stint with Oakland, Davis had played a season and a half with the San Francisco Giants following a trade from the New York Mets. He proved productive with the Giants, posting a 113 OPS+ and hitting 26 home runs across 193 games. However, he was released by the Giants earlier this season after they signed free-agent third baseman Matt Chapman, which determined Davis’s salary through arbitration.
The addition of Davis comes at a crucial time for the Yankees, who recently lost first baseman Anthony Rizzo and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton from their starting lineup. Davis is expected to play primarily at third base and serve as designated hitter, possibly sharing time with Ben Rice, who was recently promoted. He is likely to be in action against his former team, the Mets, during the upcoming Subway Series this week. Davis will be a free agent at the end of the season.
In return, the Athletics receive Groshans, 24, who was selected as the No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 draft. His performance in the minors this season has been underwhelming, with a .590 OPS in 50 games. Groshans is viewed as organizational depth and is not expected to have a significant impact, even for a team like the Athletics.
