Yankees designate Estevan Florial for assignment
The Yankees signed Colten Brewer to a Major League contract and added him to the active roster prior to Saturday afternoon’s game against the San Francisco Giants. In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees have designated Estevan Florial for assignment. The 25-year-old outfielder has been with the organization since 2015.
New York acquired Brewer from the Tampa Bay Rays Friday in exchange for cash considerations.
Brewer spent the majority of the 2022 season in the minors, making just one appearance in the big leagues. In 36 Triple-A appearances, he posted a 4.76 ERA but struck out 42 batters.
He pitched well for the Rays this spring, giving up just four hits, one unearned run, three walks and striking out 15 batters across eight appearances. Tampa Bay reassigned him to the minors, but he was traded to the Yankees and added to their 40-man roster via an assignment clause.
Florial has posted strong minor league numbers, but that success hasn’t been able to carry over to the big-league level. Last season in Triple-A, he posted a .850 OPS while homering 15 times and stealing 39 bases. In 54 at-bats in the majors, he has just ten hits while striking out 21 times.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said pregame on Saturday that informing Florial of the news was definitely a difficult conversation.
"We’ve been through a lot with Flo, such a great kid," Boone said. "The one thing I tried to remind him and encourage him of is he’s still a young man with a ton of talent. This game is difficult and clicks at different points for different people."
