Will past Yankee's call-up lead to future Yankees outfield addition?

You've watched the lineup. You've seen the memes. You know that the New York Yankees, a franchise that thrives on being left-handed, has somehow become the clunkiest right-handed group in the game over the past five seasons.

Often, the only lefty in the Yankees' regular order is Anthony Rizzo, flanked by lottery tickets like Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers in a desperate scramble for balance. But now, thanks to the Washington Nationals (and the good fortune of a former Yankees prospect), maybe that desperate scramble can continue!

Blake Rutherford, a throwback if there ever was one and the main piece in the package the Yankees sent to the White Sox in 2017 for David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Todd Frazier, was promoted by the Washington Nationals on Wednesday for his MLB debut. Rutherford, now 26, has busted out and has the chance to become a post-post-hype sleeper with a scrappy Nats team desperate for controllable talent. His ridiculous .345 average and .978 OPS this season have merited the promotion for quite a while.

Going the other way? Veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson, a player we've long theorized would be an experienced bench fit/fourth outfielder for the Yankees. Hmm.

Will Yankees add Corey Dickerson after Blake Rutherford promotion?

It wouldn't be a, "Yankees Should Consider X" column without noting that Dickerson has been remarkably disappointing this season in his age-33/34 campaign. Surrendering anything of note for him would be a mistake. Picking him up off the scrap heap? It depends on how wedded you are to McKinney.

Down the stretch in 2021, Dickerson went from the Marlins to the Blue Jays and did exactly what we feared he would, posting a professional 109 OPS+ in Toronto, following a tough first half after 118, 119 and 131 marks in full seasons from 2017-19. Last season, he was roughly average, delivering a 99 OPS+ as a bench bat for the Cardinals.

This year? .637 OPS, 77 OPS+ and -0.5 bWAR for a Nationals team floundering in last place.

Adding Dickerson to the bench mix might not be as wise a move as it seemed during the offseason, but it would be Alanis Morissette-level ironic (read: not that ironic) if Rutherford's big break landed the Yankees their veteran lefty after all.