The first major move ahead of the Aug. 2 Major League Baseball trade deadline has been made.
The New York Yankees have reportedly finalized a deal Wednesday to acquire Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Royals will receive three minor-league players in return. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Chandler Champlain, Beck Way and TJ Sikkema will head to the Royals in the trade.
The Yankees soon made the deal official after the reports.
The Royals are at the bottom of the American League Central, making them sellers at the deadline. However, Benintendi’s vaccination status reportedly had some teams second guessing a potential trade, including the Yankees.
Benintendi is unvaccinated against COVID-19 and would be unable to play in Canada due to the country’s vaccine mandate. But New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Wednesday Benintendi has told others he will get vaccinated.
Before then, teams were undeterred — even the Toronto Blue Jays — in acquiring the 28-year-old, who batted .321/.389/.788, along with three home runs and 39 RBIs in his 2022 All-Star season with the Royals.
The Boston Red Sox were also among many teams trying to acquire Benintendi, but the Yankees won out. Benintendi will add to the New York’s talented roster, and he’ll likely be depended upon right away as Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the injured list Tuesday due to Achilles tendinitis.
The Red Sox have five games remaining against the Yankees in the regular season, all at Fenway Park. The next matchup is on Aug. 12.
