Yankees claim outfielder Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from Cleveland
![Cleveland Guardians' Oscar Gonzalez plays against the Boston Red Sox...](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AMGRlMzA1NjEtZmE1MC00%3ANmEwZWNl%2Fyankees-guardians-gonzalez-baseball.jpeg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Cleveland Guardians' Oscar Gonzalez plays against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Boston. Oscar Gonzalez, whose walk-off single beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the 2022 AL Division Series, was claimed by New York off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, Dec. 1. Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
The Yankees on Friday claimed outfielder Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from Cleveland.
Gonzalez, 25, hit .214 with two home runs and a .551 OPS in 54 games for Cleveland in 2023.
The righthanded hitter had a better season as a rookie in 2022, when he hit .296 with 11 home runs and a .789 OPS for the Guardians.
The Yankees usually look for players with a good batting eye, but Gonzalez has 20 walks and 121 strikeouts in his two big-league seasons.
Gonzalez had a walk-off two-run single off Clarke Schmidt in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS. He also is known for his walk-up song: the theme from the cartoon show “SpongeBob SquarePants.”