With Brendan Ryan's current back injury, NY Yankees rumors have been fixated on who would take over Ryan's role as the Yankees' second backup utility infielder going into Tuesday's regular season opener in Houston against the Astros.
In a bit of an upset, it looks as if Yangervis Solarte has secured the role over a man who, just a year or so ago, was pegged as Derek Jeter's successor at shortstop -- Eduardo Nunez.
Per Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com, the NY Yankees had informed both Nunez and Solarte to "be ready to play, but not to travel" before the Yankees' final Spring Training game on Saturday afternoon. Both were still in the running for the final roster spot, and neither had secured a seat on the team charter to Houston for Game 1 of the 2014 MLB regular season.
Solarte, a 26-year-old Venezuelan free agent who was signed this winter by the NY Yankees after spending eight years in the minor-league systems of the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins, was convinced that Nunez had already won the job regardless.
When NY Yankees management called Nunez into their office, Solarte was sure he was done for -- "I thought that was it for me," Solarte said.
He even went so far as to find a ball for future Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter to sign, stating, "I thought at least I'll take a memento of playing with Derek Jeter with me."
Now, rather than having a token of his time around the NY Yankees captain, Yangervis Solarte will now sub for the 20-year veteran when the 40-year old shortstop needs a well-deserved break.
Part of the NY Yankees' reasoning in retaining Yangervis Solarte on the major-league roster over Eduardo Nunez, however, may be Solarte's contract. If Solarte were to have been sent down, he had the option to opt-out for a spot on another team's 25-man roster.
That is all in hindsight at this point, as Solarte will officially be a member of the NY Yankees' big league squad on April 2nd.
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