Derek Dietrich

I would have thought you were crazy if you told me on Opening Day that by the third week of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, I would be calling for Derek Dietrich in order to help light a fire under the offense. Nevertheless, here we are. The Yankees rank...

When the Yankees go looking for roster help in April, their alternate-site farmhands up in suburban Scranton, Pa., at least will be game tested this year. The farmhands were limited to intrasquad games from start to finish during the Yankees’ pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but will play 18 exhibition games in April against the Phillies’ alternate site. Half of the games will be played at PNC Field in Moosic Pa., home of the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, and half will be played at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown Pa., home of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Derek Dietrich was in the Yankees’ lineup for Friday’s spring training game, but was scratched shortly after, indicating that the veteran may have opted out of his deal. Dietrich had 48 hours from Thursday to decide whether to remain with the team or exercise his opt-out after he was a non-roster invite to spring training. The 31-year-old had four hits in 24 at-bats, including one home run, in spring training.

TAMPA — Friday, the Yankees continued to consider their roster decisions. Derek Dietrich, who also has an opt-out, was initially in the lineup but scratched. Jay Bruce continued to stay away from camp as the Yankees have until Saturday to add him to the roster, otherwise he becomes a free agent.

Dietrich was released by the Yankees on Saturday. Dietrich was scratched from Friday's spring lineup against the Orioles, and he'll now be let go by the Yankees ahead of the regular season. Dietrich his .167 with one home run and four RBI in 11 spring games this year and could have to settle for a minor-league role in 2021.

Dietrich was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles for undisclosed reasons. Dietrich is merely in camp as a non-roster invitee, so it's possible he's been told he won't be making the team, though that's yet to be confirmed by the Yankees. Chris Gittens will fill his place at first base.

It’s getting down to nitty gritty time for the Yankees, who need to make up their mind soon on whom they want to keep for one open spot on their bench. Three veterans with power who swing from the left side are vying for the berth on the season-opening 26-man roster. There’s incumbent outfielder Mike Tauchman plus two experienced vets who are in camp on minor-league contracts, first baseman/outfielder Jay Bruce and infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich.

Dietrich is slashing .111/.304/.278 with a home run and three RBI in eight games this spring. Dietrich is with New York as a non-roster invitee and is among a handful of players vying for one of the team's final roster spots. He hasn't been able to get going at the plate thus far, though Bryan Hoch of MLB.com notes that Dietrich's offensive struggles don't necessarily disqualify him from making the team in the eyes of manager Aaron Boone. "It's more about what are they looking like, whether there's a result or not," Boone said. "In Deet's case, he very much looks like the hitter he's been throughout most of his career. I feel like physically he's been in a really good spot. We've gotten him in a lot of positions. I would say it's more about physically where [he is] and track record."

It’s almost two weeks from Opening Day, so the Yankees soon will be forced to make some roster decisions. Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers. For Wednesday’s Grapefruit League game in Dunedin, Fla., two veterans who are on...

With the Yankees’ Grapefruit League schedule exactly halfway over, the competition for the final bench spots are beginning to come into focus. Though Mike Tauchman and Derek Dietrich certainly factor into that conversation, with their spots on the Opening Day roster anything but guaranteed, they insist that how they might fit is not top of mind for them as they go about their work.

Yet another Yankees health issue has cropped up a day after star reliever Zack Britton found out that he needs elbow surgery. First baseman Luke Voit didn’t make a scheduled start on Tuesday and he’s not starting Wednesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to a knee issue that for now apparently isn’t serious.

After the offseason in which Giancarlo Stanton became a Yankee, Derek Dietrich replaced him as the longest-tenured Marlin. Now they’re back together again in pinstripes, with the former trying to stay healthy for a big season and the latter on a minor league deal fighting for a bench spot. “It’s...

TAMPA — This is shaping up to be a good problem for the Yankees to have this spring. When general manager Brian Cashman and his team extended invitations to spring training to Jay Bruce and Derek Dietrich this offseason, the moves were low risk with a high reward. At the very least, the two veterans would have an opportunity to mentor some younger players and provide some insurance in case anyone gets hurt.

Fact: The New York Yankees are a better, more dangerous, and more well-rounded team with Derek Dietrich and Jay Bruce on their bench instead of Tyler Wade and Mike Tauchman. Second Fact: There’s almost no way this team’s braintrust can be convinced to jettison Wade, the only proven backup shortstop on the roster.

To say Derek Dietrich takes his physical fitness seriously is, well, a bit of an understatement:. In that way, he’s similar to former Marlins teammate and now Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton, who could easily be mistaken for a prodigy art student’s granite sculpture. There’s a reason for that, Dietrich says.