Ben Blumenthal, who split last season between the Gulf Coast League Yankees and Tampa Yankees, has been re-signed by the club. He’ll turn 25 a few days after the season starts, and is a career .246 hitter in just 175 at-bats.
He had several good performances in the GCL, but is likely being brought back simply to provide depth at the minor league level…he could be used similarly to how J.T. LaFountain was last season, but probably not at the Double-A level like LaFountain was.
Blumenthal was originally drafted out of college powerhouse Erskine in the 21st round by the Reds.
Additionally, the team has released fellow backstop Freuny Parra, who hit .167 in 18 at-bats with the GCL Yankees last year.
Source: Baseball America
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
