Yankees acquire Andrew Benintendi, Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone react
Yankees own MLB's best record, but are 5-9 in last 14 games
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Yankees have begun splashing at the trade deadline as they acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi late Wednesday night.
The trade was announced shortly after the Yanks dropped their second-straight game to their crosstown rival Mets, and it comes at the perfect time.
The Bronx Bombers still hold the league's best record at 66-33 and are a legitimate World Series threat, but they have shown flaws as of late, going 14-15 in their last 29 games, and 5-9 in their last 14.
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Andrew Benintendi, #16 of the Kansas City Royals, rounds the bases on his two-run home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 20, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Benintendi is hitting .320, which is a career-high and is now the best mark on the Yankees, as is his .387 on-base percentage.
"He's a really good player… I've seen him do a lot of impressive things. That'll definitely be a big piece to what we got going on here," said Aaron Judge.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Judge added that the trade could be the spark to getting the Yankees back into shape as they try to win their first World Series since 2009.
"Especially during the dog days of summer. We've been grinding it out for a while, and then you add a piece like that, especially a guy like that, he's been hitting well over .300 all year, playing great defense and being kind of a spark plug over there in Kansas City. Any time you bring him into the type of culture we got, it's always a plus and kind of a boosted energy."
Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Kansas City Royals bats against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 9, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
YANKEES PLACE GIANCARLO STANTON ON THE IL
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Yankees have long awaited a .300 hitter - Judge is close at .292, but they have not had one for a full season since DJ LeMahieu did it in 2019 (he won the batting title with a .364 average in a shortened 2020).
However, the 2022 All Star provides a different look in the Yankee lineup, and Aaron Boone is excited to write his name in the lineup card.
"Benintendi's a great hitter," Boone said, "Gets on base at a really high clip, hits from the left side, so yeah, gives you some balance… That's another really good big league hitter to add to the mix that's gonna lengthen out our lineup and give you that balance you're looking for."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This could mean the end of Joey Gallo's tenure with the Yankees. Before he joined the Yankees, he was a .211 hitter, but averaged 39 home runs per 162 games. In 138 games with the Yankees since last year, he's hitting .160 with a .664 OPS.
Kansas City Royals left fielder Andrew Benintendi catches a fly ball by Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, April 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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Benintendi won the 2018 World Series with the Yankees' arch-nemesis Boston Red Sox, and his first game as a Yankee will be Thursday against the team that just traded him away: the Kansas City Royals.