Kevin Smith - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Accepts outright assignment The Yankees outrighted Smith to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Impact Prior reports suggested that Smith declined the assignment and planned to pursue free agency, but the infielder will end up sticking around in the Yankees organization. Smith will provide infield depth for the Yankees at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

MAY 29, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Outrighted to Triple-A The Yankees sent Smith outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Impact The Yankees DFA'd Smith on Thursday after claiming Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Dodgers, and the 27-year-old infielder will officially remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. He is slashing just .182/.282/.212 across 39 Triple-A plate appearances and is unlikely to return to New York barring a significant turnaround.

APRIL 20, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Added to roster The Yankees selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, YES Network reports.

Impact With Jon Berti landing on the injured list due to an adductor injury, Smith will be brought up from the minors to give the Yankees additional infield depth. The 27-year-old owns a .173/.215/.301 slash line through 333 career plate appearances, and he's posted just a .494 OPS through nine games in Triple-A.

APRIL 13, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Sent to minors camp The Yankees reassigned Smith to minor-league camp on Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Impact Smith was in contention for a reserve role because the Yankees lack an ideal backup shortstop, but he ultimately didn't make the cut. The 27-year-old will represent infield depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

MARCH 25, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Former Blue Jay prospect Kevin Smith signs a minor league deal with the Yankees A former Blue Jays’ top prospect has s...

JANUARY 9, 2024 • BLUEJAYSNATION.COM

Yankees to add INF Kevin Smith The New York Yankees are signing free agent infielder Kevin Smith.Smith announced his next team on social media by posting a photo of himsel...

JANUARY 8, 2024 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Gets deal from Yankees Smith signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Impact Smith was non-tendered by the Athletics earlier this offseason even though he's still a couple years away from arbitration eligibility. The 27-year-old has put up some nice numbers in the minors but managed just a .516 OPS and 31.2 percent strikeout rate over 114 games at the major-league level. Smith can play all over the infield and also the corner outfield spots in a pinch.

JANUARY 8, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Sent to Triple-A Smith was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Impact Smith was called up from Las Vegas on Sept. 5 and played in 15 games during his three weeks with the big club, but he failed to take advantage of the playing time with a .544 OPS and 38.6 percent strikeout rate in 41 at-bats. The 27-year-old has a .185/.220/.326 slash line over 146 plate appearances in the majors this season and is now likely to close the campaign with those figures.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Doubles, scores in loss Smith went 1-for-3 with a double and a run in a loss to the Tigers on Thursday.

Impact Smith had one of only two extra-base hits for the Athletics on Thursday, with his two-bagger serving as his third during his current big-league stint. Smith has seen near-everyday playing time since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 5, but the same issues that have plagued him in prior samples against big-league arms persist -- the 27-year-old has just a .212 average across 36 plate appearances, with that figure largely the byproduct of a bloated 38.9 percent strikeout rate.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Remains on bench Smith will sit for the second straight game Saturday against San Diego.

Impact Smith hasn't done much to stake a claim for regular at-bats during his 42 games at the big-league level this season, slashing .200/.233/.357. Aledmys Diaz will start at third base Saturday, with Nick Allen starting at shortstop.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Friday Smith is not in the lineup Friday against the Padres.

Impact Jordan Diaz will start at third base and bat sixth as Nick Allen plays shortstop and hits eighth. Smith, 27, has slashed just .200/.233/.357 across 125 major-league plate appearances this year with the Athletics.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting Tuesday Smith is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Astros.

Impact Smith is hitting .278 with one home run, two doubles and nine strikeouts in five games since getting recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 5. He could continue to see fairly steady work down the stretch, but Smith's elevated strikeout rate makes him a very volatile option over the rest of the season.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Slugs key blast in return Smith went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in a win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Impact Just recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Smith paid immediate dividends with a 398-foot shot to left center in the sixth inning with Jordan Diaz and Carlos Perez aboard. The 27-year-old had been running hot at the plate for the Aviators during his just-concluded 19-game stint on the farm, slashing .351/.392/.635 with nine extra-base hits and 20 RBI. However, Smith has raked in the hitter-friendly environment of the PCL League before and then sputtered against big-league arms, so Wednesday's breakout represented a particularly encouraging start to his latest stay with the Athletics.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Recalled from Vegas The Athletics recalled Smith from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Impact Smith will come up from the minors to replace Lawrence Butler, who was placed on the bereavement list Tuesday. The 27-year-old infielder is slashing .324/.372/.653 through 183 plate appearances in the minors this season, but his success has yet to translate over into the big leagues.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Tearing up Triple-A pitching Smith is hitting .392 with six home runs and 19 RBI over the 76 plate appearances he's logged with Triple-A Las Vegas since being optioned to the Aviators on Aug. 5.

Impact Smith also has a pair of steals and walks apiece along with 15 runs over that 18-game span, which comes on the heels of a six-game rehab assignment with the Aviators where he posted a .381 average and 1.123 OPS. The 27-year-old's big-league body of work has been in stark contrast to those numbers, however, as Smith has a forgettable .191/.216/.330 slash line over 34 games with the Athletics this season. Consequently, it's uncertain a non-contending team like Oakland will invest a spot in Smith when rosters expand Sept. 1,

AUGUST 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Reinstated, sent to Triple-A Smith (back) was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday and optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Impact The 27-year-old is fully recovered from the back strain that sent him to the injured list in mid-June, but he won't rejoin the big club now that he's healthy. Smith has appeared in 34 MLB games this season and has a .191/.216/.330 slash line and 33.3 percent strikeout rate in 102 plate appearances.

AUGUST 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Another full game on defense Smith (back) started at second base and played the entirety of Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Albuquerque on Friday, going 1-for-5.

Impact Smith has now played consecutive full games on defense for the first time in his rehab assignment, seemingly teeing up a return to the big-league club. The infielder, who's been out since mid-June with a back strain, has hit .381 (8-for-21) with a double, two home runs, five RBI, a walk and four runs across six rehab games with the Aviators.

AUGUST 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Leaves yard in rehab game Smith (back) went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Impact Smith's batting line was certainly noteworthy, but equally important was the fact he played a full game at shortstop after logging seven innings at second base Tuesday. Assuming Smith doesn't experience any residual effects from playing defense in back-to-back rehab games for the first time, he could be deemed ready for activation before week's end.

AUGUST 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Three-RBI day in rehab game Smith (back) went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a two-run home run and a walk in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Sugar Land on Sunday.

Impact Smith started at third base and compiled all three of his RBI over the fourth and fifth innings. The 27-year-old also played shortstop for the Aviators on Friday, and he was encouragingly able to up his workload to seven innings Sunday after logging five frames in that contest. Having already suited up on three occasions for Las Vegas, Smith may only need another game or two down on the farm before being deemed ready for activation.

JULY 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Plays field in rehab game Smith (back) started at shortstop in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Sugar Land on Friday and played five innings, going 1-for-2.

Impact Smith made his rehab debut with the Aviators on Thursday as the designated hitter, so the fact he was able to not only play on back-to-back days but also log five innings in the field was encouraging. Smith has been sidelined since mid-June with his back strain, so he likely needs at least several more rehab games before he's fully back in sync physically and mentally.

JULY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Drives in run in rehab debut Smith (back) started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Sugar Land on Thursday.

Impact Smith enjoyed a solid start to his rehab assignment over his three plate appearances. The recovering infielder will work up to playing in the field in subsequent games as he attempts to put the finishing touches on his recovery from a mid-June back strain.

JULY 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Rehab assignment Smith (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

Impact Smith will likely need a number of rehab games before being activated. When he's ready, he should return to the top spot on the shortstop depth chart in Oakland.

JULY 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Rehab assignment imminent Smith (back) is slated to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas either Thursday or Friday, the team's official site reports.

Impact It's been a productive second half of July for Smith in his recovery from a back strain, as he began a swing progression July 15 and subsequently moved to running the bases at full speed. That ramp-up in activity has teed up his imminent return to game action, and Smith is likely to spend at least a week with the Aviators before activation is considered.

JULY 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Makes more progress in recovery Smith (back) has progressed to running the bases at full speed and is close to beginning a rehab assignment, the team's official site reports.

Impact Smith has been sidelined since mid-June with his back strain, and it appears he's finally on the precipice of jumping into game action. Given how long he's been on the shelf -- and the fact the 27-year-old was already struggling to the tune of a .191 average and .546 OPS before getting injured -- a fairly extensive rehab assignment is likely to ensure Smith's timing at the plate is as sharp as possible.

JULY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Kevin Smith sends a three-run homer to left field as the A's take a 5-0 lead

JULY 26, 2023 • FOX SPORTS

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Kevin Smith sends a three-run homer to left field as the A's take a 5-0 lead