New York Yankees: Chris Carter returns to roster

One week after being designated for assignment by the New York Yankees, Chris Carter is once again in pinstripes.

Last week, the New York Yankees designated Chris Carter for assignment. Through 57 games, Carter had hit only .204/.286/.383 (74 OPS+) with eight home runs. Although he has always been known for his strikeouts, he was whiffing even more than usual, posting a 37 percent strikeout rate.

It was later announced that Carter would be accepting an assignment to Triple-A, per CBS Sports. On Thursday, however, the Yankees made a flurry of roster moves, and it was reported that Carter would be rejoining the team.

At the time he was recalled, Carter had not yet reported to Triple-A, per The New York Post. While it may come as a bit of a surprise to see Carter return so soon, the Yankees are currently in a situation where they need help at first base.

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Injuries piling up

As the Yankees also announced on Thursday, Greg Bird, who has not played since May 1, has now been moved to the 60-day DL, and Tyler Austin has landed on the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain. DH Matt Holliday, who has also played a little bit of first base this season, is currently on the DL with a viral infection. On Thursday, backup catcher Austin Romine started at first base for the Yankees.

Though he has struggled to hit for average and strikes out at a high rate, Carter has always had power. Last season, while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, he tied Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies for the NL lead in home runs with 41. Aside from hitting the long ball, however, he doesn’t bring much else to the table. When factoring in his less-than-stellar defense and base-running, Carter was worth only 0.9 fWAR for the Brewers last season.

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It goes without saying that the Carter experiment in New York hasn’t been much of a success thus far. That said, he is still a guy who carries a lot of thunder in his bat and has the ability to really bolster an offense when his bat gets hot. Perhaps he will fare better in his second stint with the club this season.