The Yankees signed an outfielder Brennan Davis to a minor league deal, as reported by Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The deal includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
Once considered one of the top 20 prospects in baseball, the 26-year-old Davis has yet to make his MLB debut. A second-round pick by the Cubs back in 2018, Davis broke out as a 19-year-old in 2019 with a .305/.381/.525 slash line in 50 games at the Single-A level. After a canceled major league season in 2020, Davis received a bump to High-A to start the 2021 season but lasted just eight games at the level before being promoted to Double-A. After hitting a solid .252/.367/.474 in the Cubs’ Tennessee affiliate in 76 games, Davis earned his second promotion of the year with a postseason coffee cup at Triple-A, where he impressed with a .268/.397/.536 slash line in 16 games.
All of that was enough to establish Davis as one of the game’s most exciting prospects, and he seemed poised to make his MLB debut in the 2022 season as the Cubs begin a rebuilding phase following their fire sale last year that sent their top players away. Anthony Rizzo, Chris Bryantagain Javier Baez. Unfortunately for Davis, however, those dreams of a debut came true when he struggled in the early weeks of the season before undergoing back surgery in early May of that year. While he returned before the end of the year from that surgery and posted solid numbers on the bases, a lack of power prevented him from earning the coveted September call-up.
In 2023, the Cubs were once again trying to make the playoffs and had a full field thanks to the addition of the offseason. Cody Bellinger. That made Davis’ path to the majors difficult, and he was unable to force the issue due to continued injuries. Core surgery and a broken ankle sidelined him for the next two seasons, and even in his Triple-A fielding results were mixed. That led Chicago to non-tender Davis last November, cutting him from the 40-man roster and sending him to free agency.
He got a minor league deal with the Yankees this past year. He didn’t come up with his new organization until the end of May as he rehabbed the aforementioned ankle, then got injured again in the summer which caused him to miss two months. In all, he only made it to 36 games with New York’s Triple-A affiliate, but when he did he posted an impressive .271/.324/.576 slash line including 12 home runs in just 142 trips to the plate.
Although injuries have led him to stop stealing bases like he did when he was revered for his speed, the 26-year-old still offers incredible power and could make an impact in the Mariners organization if he can finally stay healthy for a full season for the first time in half a decade. Seattle’s outfield mix is spot on at the moment Julio Rodriguez in the middle, on the side Randy Arozarena again Victor Robles in the corners. If Davis can prove healthy and continue to be as effective as he’s looked over the last two years, it wouldn’t be hard to see him seeking a call up to the majors at some point this year.
