Yankees place Kendrys Morales on IL; recall Mike Tauchman

For those wondering why Kendrys Morales was still on the Yankees 25-man roster, fret no more, as his days in pinstripes are likely over after being placed on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain.

It’s not that often that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman strikes out when it comes to acquiring a low risk/high-reward type player. However, trading for Kendrys Morales on May 14 was a bust that now appears to have run its course.

Retroactive to June 12, Morales was placed on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain — and in his place, speedy outfielder Mike Tauchman was recalled.

Although Morales was acquired from the A’s for cash considerations, it did cost a player like Tauchman time with the big league club, where he, at the very least proved to be an admirable fill-in.

Morales, 36, was anything but, slashing .177/.320/.242 with one double, one home run and five RBIs in 75 plate appearances. The one thing Morales did exceptionally well in his limited role, walking 12 times as compared to just six strikeouts — hence the decent OBP.

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Surprisingly, Morales was kept on the 25-man roster upon Didi Gregorius’ return to active duty on June 7. Instead, the Yankees decided to send Thairo Estrada back to Triple-A, in order for him to play every day — while also moving Troy Tulowitzki to the 60-day IL.

As for Tauchman, the career minor leaguer scored 16 runs, hit four home runs and 13 RBIs in 95 at-bats for the Yanks after being acquired for promising left-handed reliever Philip Diehl this spring.

With his ability to play all three outfield positions, Tauchman posted a Rtot of 8 and Rdrs of 5 across 266 innings.

However, Tauchman’s stay on the major league roster may be a short one as Giancarlo Stanton is slated to return to the Yankees on Monday when they take on the Rays.

Stanton has spent all but three games on the IL this season with shoulder and calf injuries but appears to be on track, as he’s gone 4-for-7 with three home runs this week for High-A Tampa. The club expects Stanton to play a few innings at Triple-A Scranton this weekend before being activated.

With the Yankee offense slowly getting back to full strength (Aaron Judge could return within the next 10 days), Morales’ spot as a backup first baseman will be taken up by DJ LeMahieu’s ability to play all over the diamond.

Switch hitter or not, at this stage in his career, Morales isn’t worth keeping on the 25-man roster.