According to Robert Murray, the New York Yankees have signed infielder Nicky Lopez to a Minor League deal, a 30-year-old veteran who has been a brilliant defender with no offensive prowess to speak of.
After recording a .365 OBP and 104 wRC+ in 2021, he fell off of a cliff offensively, hitting just two home runs in his next 379 games with a .583 OPS.
The lack of power in his profile has made him more of a depth player for organizations in need of a veteran infielder to play at the Minor League level in case of an injury.
In 2025, he’s recorded a .220 OPS between 19 games with the Angels and Cubs, but his brilliant defense between shortstop, third base, and second base has kept him in the league.
Nicky Lopez Joins Yankees on Minor League Deal to Bolster Infield Depth
Across seven years as a Major Leaguer, Nicky Lopez has recorded a subpar 72 OPS+ with a .310 OBP, hitting just seven home runs in 686 games.
Teams don’t sign Lopez for his bat however; they sign him for his glove and the ability to provide value at a variety of positions.
At second base he has +20 OAA, at third base +9 OAA, and at shortstop +33 OAA, and if the Yankees have an injury in their infield they could bring up Lopez in a backup role.
New York’s lack of depth at the shortstop position is especially apparent, and with the team looking to add an infielder at the deadline, they could designate Oswald Peraza for assignment and lose their only backup shortstop.
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The Yankees have had some serious issues with their infield alignment defensively due to the team’s inexplicable decision to move Jazz Chisholm off of second base.
DJ LeMahieu hasn’t been a disaster at second, but he isn’t as good as Chisholm, and the left-handed slugger has been atrocious at the hot corner defensively.
It doesn’t seem to be a massive move that signals much in terms of a shakeup, but it does provide the Yankees with an insurance clause in case their shortstop depth chart is affected in the big leagues.
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