New York Yankees outfielder Oscar Gonzalez (face) suffered a right orbital fracture during Monday's 8-5 exhibition game loss to the Diablos Rojos, per the Athletic's Brendan Kuty. The 26-year-old was taken to the hospital after fouling a ball off his face. While manager Aaron Boone announced earlier in the day that Gonzalez had been re-assigned to minor-league camp, he had put together a strong spring, batting .326 in 46 plate appearances.
The New York Yankees outrighted infielder Jeter Downs and outfielder Oscar Gonzalez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Downs and Gonzalez are now off the team's 40-man roster with spring training quickly approaching. Both players were claimed off waivers by the Yankees this offseason and will provide organizational depth for the 2024 campaign. Downs, 25, only has 50 career major-league plate appearances and has disappointed with a .182/.260/.273 slash line at the plate. Gonzalez, 26, impressed as a rookie in 2022 with the Cleveland Guardians but regressed last season with a .214/.239/.312 slash line, two home runs and 12 RBI in 54 games before being sent to the minors.
To make room on the 40-man roster for the recent signing of right-hander Marcus Stroman, the New York Yankees designated outfielder Oscar Gonzalez for assignment on Wednesday. The Yankees also added outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo this offseason, so they had no real need for Gonzalez on their depth chart. Gonzalez hit .296 (107-for-362) with 11 home runs, 43 RBI and 39 runs scored in 91 games in his rookie season for the Cleveland Guardians in 2022, but his average fell to .214 (37-for-173) with only two homers and 12 RBI in 54 games in 2023 and was demoted to Triple-A during the season. The 26-year-old Dominican was pretty unlucky at the plate last year, but he's going to need to make more contact wherever he lands next to come close to approaching his rookie numbers.
Yankees Claim Oscar Gonzalez Off Waivers From Guardians
The New York Yankees claimed outfielder Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. In 173 at-bats for Cleveland in 2023, Gonzalez slashed .214/.239/.312 with only two home runs and 12 RBI in just 54 games played in his second big-league season. For his career, the 25-year-old Dominican right-handed hitter has batted .269 (144-for-535) with 13 home runs, 34 doubles, two triples, 55 RBI and 54 runs scored in 145 games for the Guardians. The Yankees will be hoping that he can replicate some of the magic he had in his rookie season in 2022. Depending on what the Yankees do in free agency, Gonzalez could have a shot at winning at least a platoon role in the outfield in the Bronx if he has an impressive spring training.
The Cleveland Guardians sent down outfielder Oscar Gonzalez to the minor leagues on Saturday. After playing the role of postseason hero on multiple occasions in 2022, the 25-year-old has failed to recapture the magic which helped making him an exciting late-round fantasy draft pick in 2023. Gonzalez has a weak .192/.213/.288 slash line in 75 plate appearances in the majors this season. The right fielder possesses the potential to contribute in both the power and speed departments, but he will have to work his way back up the ladder for now, rendering him a drop in most mixed fantasy leagues if he wasn't already.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is not in the starting lineup on Monday against the New York Yankees. Gonzalez has only been in the lineup against one right-handed pitcher (Seattle's Logan Gilbert twice), and he's gone 5-for-31 (.161) with a triple, no homers, no RBI and three runs scored in his first eight games of the season for Cleveland. For now, the 25-year-old is on the short side of a platoon in right field for the Guardians with Will Brennan. Brennan is making another start in right field on Monday and is hitting seventh in the batting order against Yankees right-hander Domingo German. The 25-year-old has been a little bit better than Gonzalez, going 4-for-16 (.250) with a double, four RBI and three runs in his eight games played.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez moves into the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners. It was a bit surprising to see Gonzalez on the bench for Opening Day. Now, the 25-year-old will start in right field and bat sixth versus left-hander Robbie Ray. Fellow outfielder Will Brennan started in place on Gonzalez on Thursday. It could be too early to tell if this is going to be a strict between platoon between the two. That being said, this situation is worth monitoring for fantasy managers.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is absent from Thursday's Opening Day lineup against the Seattle Mariners with right-hander Luis Castillo on the mound. The sophomore had a solid debut season in 2022, slashing .296/.327/.461 with 11 homers, 39 RBI, 43 runs, and one stolen base across 91 games. However, despite his strong numbers, it seems the Guardians are opting to use Gonzalez in a platoon role, with him playing against lefties, severely hurting his fantasy value. Will Brennan will get the start in right field and bat seventh and looks to be the 25-year-old's platoon mate. Brennan only played in 11 contests last year, posting a .900 OPS, but was great in Triple-A, registering a .316 average with 15 steals in 93 games. Fantasy managers can ignore him in most leagues due to his part-time status, but he can provide some batting average and speed in deep formats.
Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is starting in right field and is hitting cleanup in Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Friday against the New York Yankees and left-hander Nestor Cortes. Gonzalez has gone 3-for-13 with a solo home run, a run scored, five strikeouts and a hit by pitch in his first three postseason games so far in 2022. The 24-year-old Dominican hit an impressive .296/.327/.461 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, 39 runs scored and a stolen base in 362 regular season at-bats. In 109 at-bats against southpaws, he wasn't quite as good, batting .266 with five of his 11 homers, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored in 56 games played.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is enjoying a solid rookie campaign, including a big day on Wednesday when he was 3-for-4 with a solo home run to help beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3. He's now 12 for his last 27 at-bats and is hitting .298 on the season. Gonzalez has also displayed some power, slugging nine homers over 70 games and has added 26 runs, 35 RBI and one stolen base. If the 24-year-old is still on the waiver wire, fantasy managers may want to make a play as he's one of the best under-the-radar multi-category contributors and gets consistent playing time.
