Yankees claim former Blue Jays first-round pick infielder, ditch fading lefty

If you liked the Jeter Downs addition, but loved the Jeter Downs DFA, then the Yankees' next attempt to insure their middle infield will certainly appease you.

New York's braintrust has taken another swing at adding infield depth this spring, placing a former first-round pick firmly in Downs' and Diego Castillo's footsteps.

Jordan Groshans, the 12th overall pick of the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2018, is the Yankees' latest target. He'll earn a 40-man spot after being DFA'd by the Marlins -- or, rather, he'll receive one, then head to spring training in an attempt to actually earn it.

Unfortunately, the resulting DFA came for Matt Krook, a once-promising left-hander who struggled to harness his control with the Yankees and will have to attempt to fulfill his considerable "steal" potential elsewhere.

Yankees claim Jordan Groshans, DFA Matt Krook

Knew we were onto something when we listed Krook as one of the odd men out last week. Despite high hopes, 11 runs, six walks, eight hits and a 24.75 ERA in four big-league innings won't do much to endear a player to the community -- especially when that ghastly slate also includes a Justin Turner grand slam at Fenway Park.

Groshans struggled mightily with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp last summer -- but who wouldn't?! His .669 OPS bore little resemblance to the .817 mark and .291/.367/.450 triple-slash he posted with Toronto's Double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, back in 2021.

There's no denying his star has faded somewhat, but if the Yankees can unlock a player the Blue Jays once selected over Logan Gilbert, Nolan Gorman, Nico Hoerner, and Triston Casas, all the better. At the very least, he'll be a warm camp body at a position the Yankees have identified as a depth desire this spring. He'll also give us all a reason to monitor Krook and hope the callous move doesn't come back to bite the team's bullpen heirarchy this season.