The New York Yankees obtained outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Royals on Wednesday night as part of a four-player trade that despatched pitchers Beck Means, T.J. Sikkema, and Chandler Champlain to Kansas Metropolis. Coincidentally, Benintendi will make his New York debut on Thursday night time in opposition to his previous workforce, as he is batting leadoff and enjoying left area for the Yankees in opposition to the Royals.
Benintendi met with the media previous to the sport and mentioned a number of issues, together with his willingness to get inoculated in opposition to COVID-19. For these unaware, he needed to sit out a street sequence in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays as a result of the Canadian authorities requires worldwide vacationers to be vaccinated. (A number of different governments, together with america, require the identical.)
“I am nonetheless positioned in the identical spot,” Benintendi advised reporters, including Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. “I am open-minded about it. I am not in opposition to it. However time will inform.”
Benintendi additionally refuted rumors that surfaced after the commerce indicating he had agreed to turn out to be inoculated as a situation of the commerce. He added that he had not spoken to anybody with the Yankees about the potential for receiving the vaccine. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman tweeted on Wednesday that Benintendi had supposedly told people he would get the vaccine.
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Benintendi’s vaccination standing might show to be pivotal for the Yankees, who will head to Toronto for a three-game set in opposition to the Blue Jays in September. Given New York’s lead within the American League East, the extra dire state of affairs would see the Yankees meet the Blue Jays as a part of the postseason. As issues stand, the Blue Jays have a half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners for the AL’s prime wild card spot; they’ve a 3 ½ recreation lead over the Cleveland Guardians, the highest workforce on the surface.
If Benintendi does not get vaccinated over the approaching weeks, he must miss any potential street playoff video games in opposition to the Blue Jays — a growth that will be unsettling for the Yankees in the event that they have been to move north trailing within the sequence and having to proceed with out one in every of their key deadline additions. It is to be seen if issues will come to that, however at one level the rumor mill even had the Yankees again off Benintendi on account of the aforementioned risk.
Benintendi, a 28-year-old impending free agent, is within the midst of a top quality season. He hit .320/.387/.398 (123 OPS+) with three residence runs and 4 stolen bases (on six tries) in 93 video games with the Royals.
