Yankees Release Former Red Sox Once Traded For Mookie Betts

A former Boston Red Sox infielder was released Tuesday and will head to Japan for the rest of the 2024 season.

The New York Yankees announced they released Jeter Downs, who signed with Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Downs signed with the Yankees last offseason following a failed season with the Washington Nationals. The 26-year-old didn’t feature on the MLB roster and played 69 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he hit 10 home runs and recorded 38 RBIs off a .858 OPS.

Red Sox fans will remember Downs as one of the players acquired in the Mookie Betts trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 along with Connor Wong and Alex Verdugo, who also joined New York last offseason when the Red Sox dealt him to their American League East rival.

Downs played 20 games in MLB in two seasons and has one home run and five RBIs off a .533 OPS. He’ll look to get his career back on track in NPB.