The Yankees have decided that adding a veteran right-handed bat to their roster was vital after shelving Aaron Judge for the remainder of the season; which is exactly how long Butler, the career DH–who made a name for himself while in Kansas City, will be in New York.
Depending on who you ask, the story about why Butler was released by the Athletics is two-fold.
Having signed a 3-year, $30M deal in 2015, Butler did very little in terms of earning his paycheck. Over the span of almost two full seasons, Butler’s slash line was a dreadful .