Everyone loves a good reunion, and the Yankees gave themselves the opportunity for one on Friday when they signed Andrew Velazquez to a minor-league contract. YES Network’s Jack Curry was the first to report it. The deal includes an invite to spring training for 2025, and gives “Squid” a chance to don the pinstripes once again.
Velazquez was born in the Bronx, grew up learning the game there while attending Fordham Prep, and eventually found his way on to the Yankees roster at age-26 in 2021. As with any minor-league deal, this is a low risk move for the Yankees, and presents an outside chance at a cool story. The infielder’s time in New York was not all that convincing, as he slashed .224/.235/.358 for a 59 wRC+ across his 28 games and 68 plate appearances. But, his Bronx roots and spark plug profile made him an easy guy to root for.
Originally drafted by Arizona in 2012, Velazquez debuted with the Rays back in 2018 before being traded to Cleveland in ‘19 and spending time in Baltimore a year later before returning to his hometown to play for the Yankees. Unfortunately, he has never played quite well enough to establish himself in the big leagues, mustering just a 48 wRC+ and -0.6 fWAR in his 275 games in The Show.
Velazquez did, however, earn himself a nearly full-time role with the Angels after his time in New York, playing 125 games with the Halos in 2022. The switch-hitter was still pretty weak with the bat, but he graded out well on the basepaths and played more than solid defense at shortstop.
More recently, Velazquez spent his 2024 season at Triple-A in the Braves’ organization, where he did struggle in the big picture, albeit while also showing more pop than usual. The now 30-year-old swatted 16 homers in 118 games with Gwinnett, though it still only translated to a 79 wRC+ against minor-league competition.
His chances are probably slim, but Velazquez will have the opportunity to show his skills to the Yankees come spring training. The most likely scenario has him serving as utility depth down in Triple-A Scranton, as he continued to play just about everywhere for Gwinnett last season. It’s a pleasure to see a familiar face back in camp, and it would make for a nice story to see him rep his hometown team once again at some point!
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