Matt Carpenter signs major league deal with New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have signed three-time All-Star Matt Carpenter, adding a veteran infielder to a roster that has been beset by injuries.

The Yankees announced Thursday that Carpenter, who spent parts of the past 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, signed a major league contract and has been added to their active roster.

He was added to the Yankees’ lineup at designated hitter, batting eighth, for Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays after Aaron Hicks was scratched with right hamstring tightness.

New York also selected the contract of 31-year-old left-hander Manny Banuelos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before Thursday’s series opener at Tampa Bay. Banuelos was in the Yankees’ minor league system from 2008 to 2014 but never made it up to the big league club during that time.

Carpenter, 36, struggled offensively over an extended period during his final three seasons with the Cardinals, batting just .203 with 22 home runs in 309 games from 2019 to 2021.

The former TCU star joined the Texas Rangers on a minor league deal earlier this season but was released last week from their Triple-A team and became a free agent in a mutual decision because of the lack of opportunity with their big league team. He batted .275 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 21 games at Triple-A Round Rock.

The left-handed Carpenter joins a Yankees team that is currently without third baseman Josh Donaldson, who is on the COVID-19 injured list and also is facing a one-game suspension for his comment last week to White Sox star Tim Anderson.

New York also is without slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who is on the IL with an ankle injury, and infielder DJ LeMahieu, who is day-to-day with a wrist injury and was not in the starting lineup for Thursday’s series opener against the Rays.

In 1,329 games with the Cardinals, Carpenter batted .262 with 155 homers and 576 RBIs. His primary position was third base with the Cardinals, although he also can play first base and second base. He played mostly at first base during his brief stint at Round Rock.

Banuelos pitched in the major leagues for Atlanta in 2015 and the Chicago White Sox in 2019, going 4-8 with a 6.31 ERA in 14 starts and seven relief appearances. Banuelos is 0-2 with a 2.35 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances for Scranton, striking out 30 and walking 12 in 30⅔ innings.

Banuelos, a member of Mexico’s pitching staff at last year’s Olympics, split the 2021 season between the Fubon Guardians in Taiwan and Mexico’s Sultanes de Monterrey.

New York assigned catcher Rob Brantly outright to the RailRiders. The Yankees opened spots on the active 26-man roster by optioning left-hander JP Sears and outfielder Estevan Florial to Scranton after Wednesday’s 2-0 win.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.