The New York Yankees acquired All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night, it was announced.
The Yankees are sending three minor league pitching prospects to the Royals in exchange for the 28-year-old Benintendi: Right-hander Beck Way, right-hander Chandler Champlain and left-hander T.J. Sikkema.
Benintendi was named to his first career MLB All-Star Game this season. Through Wednesday, he’s batting a career-best .320 with three home runs and 39 RBI in 93 games this season.
“He’s obviously a really good player,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the New York Mets and before the deal was announced, adding that he thought Benintendi would “fit in well.”
Last season, Benintendi hit .276 with 17 homers and 73 RBI, earning a Gold Glove in his first season with the Royals. He was acquired by Kansas City from the Boston Red Sox in February 2021 as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Mets.
Earlier this month, Benintendi was one of 10 players on the Royals who didn’t travel to Toronto for four-game series with the Blue Jays because they hadn’t received the COVID-19 vaccination.
With the Yankees (66-33) leading the American League East, it’s unclear if Benintendi will get vaccinated. New York plays at Toronto from Sept. 26-28.
“For me, it was a personal decision,” Benintendi said earlier this month about the vaccine. “And I’m going to leave it at that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.