Yankees designate Estevan Florial for assignment

Apr 1, 2023 - 4:35 PM

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Ahead of today’s game with the Giants, the Yankees announced they’ve designated outfielder Estevan Florial for assignment. The move comes in conjunction with the addition of pitcher Colten Brewer to the active roster.

Florial is out of minor league options, meaning that his removal from the roster had to come via DFA. Given the 25-year-old’s still evident physical tools, it seems quite possible that he won’t pass through waivers, meaning that his time with the Yankees, the only organization he’s known since 2015, is all but over.

The Yankees may yet try to trade Florial if interest in him is strong. To his credit, Florial hit a robust .283/.368/.481 in 101 Triple-A games last season, one of his finest professional performances to date. But the problem for Florial has been staying on the field; injuries have limited him virtually every season of his career, preventing him from getting the high-level game reps necessary to fully develop the impressive tools that once made him a consensus top-50 prospect.

If this spells the end of Florial’s time with New York, we wish him luck wherever he lands. “Cautionary Tale” is probably too strong a phrase to use with regard to Florial’s Yankees prospect journey, but his descent from toolsy blue-chip prospect to DFA serves as one more reminder of the wide range of outcomes on the table for this player archetype.