31 August 2023
The Cincinnati Red have claimed center fielder Harrison Bader off waivers, the Yankees announced Thursday.
Bader, a native of Bronxville, N.Y., batted .237 with seven home runs, 46 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 98 regular season games with the Yankees.
“I’m a New York City kid and I never, in a million years, thought I’d play in the big leagues, let alone for the New York Yankees,” Bader told reporters Tuesday. “Just the opportunity has been incredible and I’ve loved every second of it. Whatever happens, happens. I understand it’s a business.”
The Yankees acquired Bader, a 2021 Gold Glove Award winner, before the 2022 trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
The speedy center fielder was out with plantar fasciitis when the Yankees traded for him, delaying his team debut by more than a month, but he quickly ingratiated himself with a torrid 2022 postseason in which he hit five home runs in nine games.
Bader is hitting .240 this season, during which he’s missed games with oblique and hamstring strains.
“He plays hard every day,” ace Gerrit Cole said of Bader after Wednesday’s game.
“One of the best center fielders, if not the best defensive center fielder, I’ve ever played with,” Cole added, listing Aaron Judge, George Springer and Andrew McCutchen among the others.
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