Yankees lose potential bench piece to Orioles after disappointing audition

The New York Yankees have managed to encounter both a position player roster crunch and a dearth of bench depth as we hurtle towards June. Sometime soon (hopefully, based on injury return timelines), they'll need to figure out how to split playing time between DJ LeMahieu and Jazz Chisholm Jr. without an uncomfortable position change conversation. Then, a few weeks later, Giancarlo Stanton might come back and turn Ben Rice into a utility player.

And even when all that happens, the Yankees will still have two of Pablo Reyes, Oswald Peraza, and Jorbit Vivas occupying space, each one largely failing to distinguish themselves from the others (outside of brilliant Vivas ABs against the Mets bullpen and Nathan Eovaldi).

That left a wide-open window for Cooper Hummel, plucked from the Astros at the end of spring training, to make an impression with Triple-A Scranton and earn himself a cup of coffee. Hummel has a career .894 OPS at the highest levels of the minors, but his production has never translated to the MLB level.

Ultimately, when Hummel's opt-out window arrived and he triggered his release clause on May 22, the Yankees decided they were happier to have Reyes - and Hummel didn't exactly make an outstanding argument for himself. He hit the injured list early after arriving, and played just 10 games in the system, hitting .258 with only a single extra-base hit (a double).

His departure became final on Sunday when he was added by the Orioles, replacing utility man Terrin Vavra. Vavra was DFA'd, and Hummel will earn the 40-man spot the Yankees couldn't grant him in Baltimore.

Yankees lose Cooper Hummel to Orioles after Triple-A opt out

Come on, Yanks. You know what you must do now: Sign Terrin Vavra.

Hummel may provide some value to an Orioles team in distress, but credit to the Yankees here. They may not have figured out their ideal bench makeup yet, but they weren't going to be fooled by an end-of-May deadline and rush into a lateral move.

They undoubtedly need to upgrade third base with a certified big-leaguer, or at least grab a viable backup option for whichever rookie they agree to roll with in Oswaldo Cabrera's absence. But the Orioles, far more desperate at the moment, were looking for a body, which gives Hummel the opportunity he was seeking in the Bronx.