The New York Yankees have agreed to a minor league deal with first baseman Logan Morrison, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Friday.
The deal includes an opt-out date of July 1, and Morrison, 31, will make $1 million if he’s added to the major league roster, sources told Passan.
Morrison hit .239 with 15 home runs and 39 RBIs in 95 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2018 before he was sidelined by a torn labrum. He had surgery in August that was expected to keep him out for eight months, and he used the rehab time to retool his swing to better resemble that of 2017, when he hit 38 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays.
He has also played for the Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins over nine major league seasons.
Earlier this week, the Yankees added first baseman Greg Bird to the injured list with a left plantar fascia tear. It’s unclear how long Bird will be out. Manager Aaron Boone guessed Tuesday that the injury might keep Bird out “at least a month.”
Luke Voit has been the Yankees’ primary first baseman in Bird’s absence. The Yankees also called up Mike Ford from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to provide depth.
In 2017, Morrison had a celebrated feud with Gary Sanchez when he said the Yankees catcher didn’t belong in the Home Run Derby. Morrison was left out of the contest despite hitting 24 home runs before the All-Star break.
“Gary shouldn’t be there,” Morrison said at the time. “Gary’s a great player, but he shouldn’t be in the Home Run Derby.
Sanchez had 14 homers when he was selected for the contest
“I remember when I had 14 home runs,” Morrison said then. “That was a month and a half ago. It’s par for the course. I play for the Rays. I get it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.