The New York Yankees made a move to address their current outfield need, bringing in Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals for three minor league players.
Even though he has just three home runs in 2022, he has managed to be well-above the league average with a .320/.387/.398 line, 40 runs, 39 RBI, and four stolen bases.
Judging by wRC+ (weighted Runs Created Plus), which uses 100 as a value to assign league average offensive production, Benintendi has been rock-solid, with a 126 mark.
Without being truly a star, Benintendi goes to the Bronx to fill an immediate need and represents a huge upgrade from what the Yankees were getting from Joey Gallo.
“The #Yankees needed to look no further than the past month for their urgency to acquire Andrew Benintendi. June 27-July 27: Joey Gallo .118/.286/.333/.619 6 hits, 12 walks, 22 strikeouts. Andrew Benintendi .398/.457/.434/.891. 33 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted.
The #Yankees needed to look no further than the past month for their urgency to acquire Andrew Benintendi.
June 27-July 27:
Joey Gallo
.118/.286/.333/.619
6 hits, 12 walks, 22 strikeouts.
Andrew Benintendi .398/.457/.434/.891.
33 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 28, 2022
Benintendi Is A Good Replacement For The Struggling Gallo In The Bronx
Gallo hasn’t been good ever since coming over from the Texas Rangers on a trade before last year’s deadline, but he has been particularly bad in the last month.
A Yankees regular won’t retain his place in the lineup for long with a .619 OPS over a full month.
It just hasn’t worked out for Gallo in the Bronx.
Now that his playing time appears to be in jeopardy following Benintendi’s acquisition, it’s possible that we see Gallo switching teams before August 2.
It would be a good situation for all parties involved.
In the meantime, Benintendi will offer a much more balanced and disciplined approach, and brings in a contact element that the Yankees could really use in their power-heavy lineup.
