Yankees face first casualty heading into the MLB trade deadline

The New York Yankees remain at the top of the American League East with a 36-22 record, despite dropping two out of three games to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.

As if that weren’t enough, manager Aaron Boone has been working to adjust his lineup as best he can, with the Bronx Bombers hit by a series of injuries that have made it difficult to field their strongest roster at times this season.

Still, the team has become competitive enough to manage without key players. Although a couple of reinforcements wouldn’t hurt, Boone has chosen to keep the roster as is – and not all of the players at their Triple-A affiliate are eligible or ready to step up and compete for a spot.

Yankees suffer first departure ahead of the trade deadline

It has emerged that first baseman Dominic Smith has become a free agent after exercising the opt-out clause in his contract, which had tied him to the Yankees organization. He never got the chance to show what he could do with the first team – even though he had hoped to be considered following Giancarlo Stanton’s injury.

Smith had spent the past few months with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, where he posted a slash line of .255/.333/.448, along with six doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and four stolen bases.

The first baseman took part in spring training earlier this year, batting .297 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 37 at-bats, but failed to earn a place on the major league roster. He was released – only to re-sign with the Yankees a week later and return to Triple A.

Smith is no stranger to the big leagues, having previously played for the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.

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