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The New York Yankees have claimed former Texas Rangers prospect Bubba Thompson off waivers to add to their depth in the outfield for the 2023 MLB season. The 25-year-old had brief spells with the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds last year before entering free agency. While the Yankees have picked him to compete for the fifth spot in their outfield, fans were not happy with the decision and made it clear over social media.
Bubba Thompson was selected by the Taxes Rangers in the 2017 MLB draft and went on to make his major league debut for them in August 2022 after over five years in the minors. However, just a year after being promoted, the outfielder was designated for assignment by them in August 2023. Then, he was claimed off waivers by the Royals in August before once again being claimed off waivers by the Reds in October.
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Now, after being designated for assignment by the Reds at the end of the year, he has been claimed by the Yankees for next season. The New York side already has an outfield of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, with specialist Alex Grisham coming off the bench. This means that Thompson will compete for the fifth spot at best, leaving fans unhappy with the newest addition as it reflects on the team's ambitions for the future.
"Hitting the dumpsters for leftovers again," wrote one fan on X/Twitter. "Poverty franchise," added another.
Yankees sign RHP Cody Poteet along with Bubba Thompson
While the New York Yankees may have lost out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto last month, they have been busy strengthening the back end of their roster. After the turn of the year, they have already signed outfielder Bubba Thompson and pitcher Cody Poteet from free agency.
Poteet was recovering from injury for the majority of the 2023 MLB season and made only a single appearance in the minors for the Kansas City Royals. He was released by the Royals organization in December and has now been signed by the Yankees.
