The Yankees have a new Jeter. On Tuesday, the Yankees announced they have claimed infielder Jeter Downs off waivers from the Nationals. Downs is, of course, named after Hall of Famer and longtime Yankees captain Derek Jeter. The two met briefly and spoke a few years ago, when a friend of Downs in the Marlins system connected him with Derek, then the Marlins CEO.
"It was (surreal)," Downs told MLB.com about speaking to Jeter. "I've idolized him my whole life. It was finally good to meet him and talk to him a little bit. It was definitely special."
Downs, 25, is well-traveled. He was the No. 32 pick in the 2017 draft by the Reds. They traded him to the Dodgers in the Kyle Farmer/Matt Kemp/Yasiel Puig trade in December 2018, the Dodgers sent him to the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts deal in February 2020, then Washington claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox last December.
Downs has appeared in 20 big-league games with the Red Sox and Nationals, going 8 for 44 (.182) with a home run. He had the best game of his MLB career at (where else?) Yankee Stadium in 2022, when he went 2 for 3 with a double and a homer against Gerrit Cole on July 17. To the action footage:
This past season, Downs, an infielder, authored a .236/.358/.379 batting line in 51 Triple-A games with the Nationals around an injury. The former top-100 prospect has not hit much above Double-A -- he's a career .202/.306/.370 hitter in 231 Triple-A games -- though he has enough bat speed and versatility to perhaps carve out a career as a utility guy.
New York has quite a bit of 40-man roster flexibility at the moment -- even after this waiver claim, they have two open spots -- plus Downs has a minor-league option remaining. That means he can be sent to Triple-A without being exposed to waivers. It seems likely the Yankees will stash him in Triple-A as a depth infielder in 2024.
The Yankees traded for Alex Verdugo at the Winter Meetings earlier this month. Downs and Verdugo were the two key pieces the Red Sox received in the Betts trade. The third player, Connor Wong, had a solid season as Boston's backup catcher in 2023.
