Yankees Add Former 3-Time All-Star To Major League Roster

The 36-year-old is not ready to call it quits just yet. After being granted his unconditional release from a minor league pact with the Texas Rangers, former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Matt Carpenter has signed a major league deal with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees have signed longtime Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter. He'll join the big league team immediately.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 26, 2022

The 11-year veteran will join the Yankees immediately, reporting to the team in Tampa Bay, where the Yanks begin a 4-game series Thursday night.

Carpenter showed he still has a little something left in his bat during 21 games at Triple-A in the Rangers system this season, batting .275 with a .991 OPS, along with 6 homers and 19 RBIs.

The Texas-born product wanted to give it a shot with his childhood home team, but the Rangers couldn't find a place for him on the big league roster, and he asked for his release. Sometimes, you can't go home again.

With the Yankees, however, the former 3-time All-Star and two-time Top 10 MVP finisher will step right into pinstripes to try to help the club.

After 11 seasons in St. Louis, Carpenter's performance, and role with the Cardinals, had dipped precipitously in the last couple of years, batting just .169 in 2021. That followed a .186 average in 2020.

But with a recent spate of injuries to the Yankees, if Carpenter can regain some of the old magic, he could add another valuable veteran presence to the team. And he seems pretty stoked about wearing pinstripes.

Matt Carpenter on his role with the #Yankees: “I told them, if they want me to load the bags on the plane, I’ll do it.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 26, 2022