Yankees claim former first-round pick off waivers from Dodgers in latest roster move

How about a little off day roster action, New York Yankees fans? We've got you covered, and the carousel with former Los Angeles Dodgers players coming to the Bronx continues. Welcome Taylor Trammell into the fold, after the Yanks acquired Caleb Ferguson, Victor Gonzalez, Dennis Santana and Jorbit Vivas this offseason.

On Thursday, the Yankees claimed Trammell off waivers from LA and designated Kevin Smith for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. What?! How could then get rid of Silent Bob?!

No, it was the infielder Kevin Smith, who had been stationed at Triple-A Scranton as depth. But he had a poor spring showing, so it was a surprise he made the roster to begin with. In nine Triple-A games, he's hitting .182 with a .494 OPS and made an error.

With DJ LeMahieu on the mend and Caleb Durbin absolutely raking, it seems the Yankees are comfortable sacrificing infield depth for the time being.

In comes Trammell, an outfielder and former first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds/top prospect for the Seattle Mariners who has yet to pan out. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on Wednesday.

Yankees claim former first-round pick off waivers from Dodgers in latest roster move

Trammell appeared in five games for the Dodgers this season. He received six at-bats, registered no hits or walks, and struck out three times. Not enough of a sample size to judge by any means, but the 26-year-old has appeared in 121 MLB games and owns a .165/.266/.361 line with 15 homers, 39 RBI, 4 steals, and a jarring 133 strikeouts.

In the end, Trammell got bumped for Dodgers top prospect Andy Pages as Jason Heyward was nearing a return from the injured list.

How does he fit into the Yankees' picture? Well, one injury to someone at the MLB level, and the Bombers will need somebody immediately, since Giancarlo Stanton is probably never playing defense again.

As for the minor leagues, the current trio of Everson Pereira, Luis Gonzalez and Brandon Lockridge isn't exactly lighting the world on fire. Greg Allen hasn't done much in his 17 at-bats, either.

All in all, just a minor form of roster housekeeping. Nothing impactful ... or, at least we hope it won't have to be impactful in any way.