In a surprising turn of events, the New York Yankees have designated Jeter Downs for assignment, just one month after claiming the 25-year-old shortstop off waivers from the Washington Nationals. This unexpected move comes as the Yankees needed to free up a roster spot for infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo, whom they claimed off waivers from the New York Mets.
Jeter Downs, whose name pays tribute to former Yankees captain Derek Jeter, was originally the 32nd overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2017 amateur draft. Now, he faces an uncertain future with the Yankees, as the team has seven days to trade him or place him on waivers.
In another roster move, the Yankees finalized a one-year contract with right-hander Luke Weaver. Weaver, who was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners on September 12, made three starts for the Yankees and then became a free agent. The 30-year-old pitcher has had a journeyman career, previously playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (2016-2018), Arizona Diamondbacks (2019-2022), Kansas City Royals (2022), Cincinnati Reds (2023), Seattle Mariners (2023), and now the Yankees.
To make room for Weaver on the roster, outfielder Bubba Thompson was designated for assignment.
Jeter Downs’ baseball journey has been marked by trades and transitions. He was part of the package that the Los Angeles Dodgers sent to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Mookie Betts in 2020. Downs made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2022, but his performance was modest, hitting .154 with one home run and four RBIs. After a brief stint with the Nationals, where he went 2 for 5 with one RBI and two stolen bases, he found himself with the Yankees, where he played for Triple-A Rochester, hitting .236 with three homers, 18 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases this year.
Interestingly, before his big league debut in 2022, Jeter Downs received a pregame congratulatory tweet from none other than Derek Jeter himself. The two had met a few years earlier, and Jeter’s tweet read, “Congratulations and good luck… unless you are playing the Yankees.”
Had the chance to meet @jeter2downs a few years ago (he wasn’t with the Red Sox then). Congratulations and good luck… unless you are playing the Yankees.
— Derek Jeter (@derekjeter) June 22, 2022
Diego Castillo, the player for whom Downs’ roster spot was cleared, had his own share of roster moves. Castillo was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 22 to make way for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He was subsequently claimed by the New York Mets off waivers from Arizona on January 5, only to be designated for assignment again a week later when the Mets needed to make room for left-hander Sean Manaea. Castillo appeared in just one big league game last year, hitting .313 with 33 doubles, three homers, 72 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases in 124 games at Triple-A Reno.
Castillo made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, where he batted .206 with 11 homers and 19 RBIs in 96 games before being traded to the Diamondbacks in December 2022.