The Yankees claimed outfielder Bryan De La Cruz off waivers from the Braves, optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and transferred DH/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day injured list on Thursday.
De la Cruz, 28, has batted .191 (9-for-47) with one run scored, one double, three walks and one stolen base in 16 games for the Braves this season. He was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on April 17 and batted .200 (8-for-40) with one run scored, one double, one RBI and three walks in 11 games.
Over parts of five Major League seasons with the Miami Marlins (2021-24), Pittsburgh Pirates (2024) and Atlanta Braves (2025), the right-handed batter has hit .251 (436-for-1,738) with 177 R, 85 doubles, 2 triples, 58 HR, 208 RBI, 109 BB and 15 SB in 491 career games. He has appeared defensively in his career in left field (265 G/227 GS), right field (127 G/102 GS) and center field (73 G/61 GS). In 2024, he set career highs in home runs (21) and runs scored (61) with Miami (105 G) and Pittsburgh (44 G).
The Santo Domingo, D.R., native was originally signed by the Houston Astros as a non-drafted free agent on Sept. 24, 2013. De La Cruz was acquired by the Miami Marlins along with RHP Austin Pruitt from Houston in exchange for RHP Yimi García on July 28, 2021. He was then acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates from Miami in exchange for INF Garret Forrester and RHP Jun-Seok Shim on July 30, 2024. Additionally, he was non-tendered by Pittsburgh on Nov. 22, 2024, and signed with the Braves to a Major League contract on Jan. 3, 2025.