Yankees sign Kevin Smith to bolster infield depth
Kevin Smith #4 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates scoring a run on a wild pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning at RingCentral Coliseum on September 21, 2023 in Oakland, California. Credit: Getty Images
The Yankees signed infielder Kevin Smith Monday, according to the New York native himself, who made the announcement by posting a childhood photo depicting him wearing a full Yankees uniform.
Smith, a righthanded-hitting third baseman and shortstop from East Greenbush, N.Y., played 49 games with the A’s last year and slashed .185/.220/.326 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. The terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, and news of the signing emerged after Smith posted the photo to X, with the caption “Headed Home for 2024” while tagging the Yankees.
The 27-year-old was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2017 and has played 114 games over parts of three seasons with Toronto and Oakland, with a .174 career batting average. In 2021, a Prospects Live scouting report lauded his bat speed, arm strength and power potential, but noted that he was a free swinger and “fringe-average” fielder, projecting him as a platoon or utility player. In addition to his power, his other distinguishing tool is sprint speed, which was in the 50th percentile last year, according to Baseball Savant.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
