New York Yankees Send Down Rob Refsnyder

By Kenneth Teape | Mar 28, 2016

Mar 31, 2015; Fort Myers, FL, USA; New York Yankees infielder Rob Refsnyder (98) prepares to throw to first base in the first inning of the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Yankees made somewhat of a surprising move this weekend, sending down Rob Refsnyder to the minor leagues.

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The New York Yankees are close to getting things started for real, as the regular season is right around the corner. They took another step towards finalizing their 25-man roster for Opening Day on Sunday, as they sent down second baseman Rob Refsnyder.

Refsnyder has quickly become a fan favorite with the Yankees, but with the additions they made this offseason, and veterans they already had in place, there was no clear spot for Refsnyder at the major league level. Because of that, the Yankees were working on making a Refsnyder into a utility player that they could use off the bench.

Refsnyder was already in the process of learning second base after being converted from a corner outfield spot, where Refsnyder played while in college at Arizona. With Starlin Castro now being added to be the everyday second baseman, the Yankees decided to make Refsynder into a utility player and have him learn third base as well.

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Refsnyder is coming along at second base, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done at third base before the Yankees can feel comfortable using him there. Refsnyder took two groundballs off his face in consecutive days over the weekend, which is not encouraging to see from a player the Yankees are hoping to take over the bench role.

That is the major thing keeping Refsnyder out of the major leagues right now according to ESPN’s Andrew Marchand. Without a position to use him at defensively, the Yankees are not comfortable using a bench spot on him at this current time.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the reason the team sent down fan favorite and prospect Rob Refsnyder was... https://t.co/hPxCwys28L
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) March 27, 2016

While the defense leaves a lot to be desired, Refsnyder’s bat is MLB ready. In his cameo at the major league level last season, Refsnyder was impressive at the plate. He slashed .302/.348/.512 in 43 at-bats, hitting two home runs with three walks and two stolen bases.

While the sample size is small, he gained enough confidence and trust from Joe Girardi that he was in the starting lineup for the Yankees in their American League Wild Card game against the Houston Astros.

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While Refsnyder’s bat looks like it will play well at the major league level, the defense just isn’t there yet. That is what will keep him in the minor leagues for now, but there is a good chance that we will see Refsnyder at the major league level at some point. He is someone the Yankees like and his bat could be useful off the bench.

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