On Wednesday afternoon, the New York Yankees announced that the club has signed outfielder Taylor Dugas to the big league roster. In a corresponding move, the team out-righted RHP Esmil Rogers to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
Today @yankees signed OF Taylor Dugas to MLB contract & selected him to 25-man roster. Also outrighted RHP Esmil Rogers to @swbrailriders.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) July 1, 2015
With Carlos Beltran dealing with a ribcage injury, the Yankees needed an extra outfielder on the big league roster. As the severity of Beltran’s injury is unknown, the Yankees needed an extra outfielder as insurance in case the 38-year-old is unable to play.
To fill in for Beltran, the Yankees called up 25-year-old Taylor Dugas, a 2012 8th round draft pick by the club. Dugas has split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season, posting a slash line of .198/.316/.235.
Although he has struggled a little this season, Dugas has been successful at the plate during his minor league career with the team. In his four professional seasons, Dugas has posted a slash line of .281/.403/.347.
In the corresponding move to free up the roster space, the club out-righted Esmil Rogers to Triple-A. Rogers has struggled with the big league club this season, posting a 1-1 record with a 6.27 ERA in 18 appearances.
As the Yankees hope that Beltran’s injury isn’t serious, the club hopes that Dugas will serve as insurance for a few days to give him time to heal. Instead of using up another option for Mason Williams or Ramon Flores, the club figured to give Dugas a shot to prove his worth with the big league club.
