Jordan Groshans, an infielder that was placed on waivers by the Marlins, was claimed by the Yankees yesterday afternoon. To make room on the 40-man roster, New York designated lefty reliever Matt Krook for assignment.
When Miami traded for former teammate infielder Jonah Bride last Tuesday, they designated Groshans for assignment. Groshans now returns to the AL East, where he started his professional career.
A highly sought-after prospect in high school, the Blue Jays selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. By the 2022 trade deadline, he had become less and less valuable, and Toronto sent him to the Fish in exchange for relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop.
Not shortly after that deal, Groshans was promoted to the major leagues. During his first 65 plate appearances, he hit .262/.308/.311 with one home run in 17 MLB games. He was optioned back to Triple-A by Miami to begin the 2023 season. Thanks mostly to a disappointing offensive season, Groshans spent the entire season there.
Over 528 at-bats, the right-handed batter posted a slash line of .243/.339/.330. He walked at a 12.5% speed and struck out just 17.4% of the time, demonstrating a keen awareness of the strike zone.
When Groshans did make contact, though, it was with relatively little effect; he only hit six home runs, twenty doubles, and one triple. He played largely third and divided his defensive duties between the two corner infield positions.
Despite having some early-career experience in the middle infield, most prospect evaluators always thought Groshans would be a better fit at the hot corner.
Groshans had his first minor league option season last year. If New York keeps him on the 40-man roster, they may still send him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the following two years.
Behind the starting group of Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, and Anthony Volpe, he is positioned at the rear of the infield depth chart, which also includes Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jorbit Vivas.
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