New York Yankees Reportedly Exploring Adding Joe Panik to Infield Mix

It looks like the Yankees may be considering adding another New York native to a potentially-thin infield.

Though there are no starting jobs available in the Bombers' lineup, the loss of Didi Gregorius means that suitable depth is a little harder to come by in 2020. Without the utmost confidence in Tyler Wade to handle the 300 at-bats that always seem to come available in any given year for a versatile bench player, the Yanks have reportedly had conversations about Joe Panik, who wrapped his 2019 in Flushing.

Panik, a Yonkers native and close friend of Yankees broadcaster Ryan Ruocco, has seen his bat diminish in value since an exemplary 2015, when he hit .312 with eight homers in just 100 games. He hit a sturdy .288 in 2017, too, but has undergone a surprising and rampant decline these past few seasons, ending up as one of the Mets' many light-hitting options down the stretch in '19.

If Panik has an above-average season with the bat left in him, it wouldn't be too surprising to see it materialize with his hometown Yankees.

The bulk of the at-bats, in an ideal world, will go to Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela, Miguel Andujar, Luke Voit, and Mike Ford. But there needs to be a rover to fill in the gaps, and perhaps, for the right price, that could be Panik.