Yankees reportedly acquire INF Jon Berti from Marlins after losing DJ LeMahieu to foot injury
The New York Yankees acted quickly to fill the hole left by DJ LeMahieu's injury.
The team acquired Miami Marlins utilityman Jon Berti on Wednesday, according to MLB.com, two days after manager Aaron Boone told reporters that LeMahieu would begin the season on the 10-day injured list due to a bruised right foot.
The deal is reportedly a three-team trade that will see the Yankees sent outfield prospect John Cruz to the Marlins and catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Tampa Bay Rays. Rays outfield prospect Shane Sasaki will also go to Miami.
Berti is coming off a career-best season and was no small part of the Marlins' surprising run to the playoffs. He hit .294/.344/.405, adding up to a career-best 103 OPS+, while playing five positions, spending most of his time at shortstop and third base. He rated as an above-average fielder at both those positions by outs above average and defensive runs saved.
With the Yankees, Berti figures to see most of his time initially at third, where LeMahieu was set to start. The rest of the Yankees' infield is fairly set with Anthony Volpe at shortstop, Gleyber Torres at second and Anthony Rizzo at first. Oswaldo Cabrera was previously the top candidate to take over at third and will likely remain in a backup role.
Berti also has experience in the outfield, but the Yankees are even more set there, with the likes of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham.
The Yankees didn't pay too great a prospect cost for Berti. The 18-year-old Cruz ranks as the No. 28 prospect in the team's system, according to MLB Pipeline, while Sasaki isn't ranked in the top 30.
