It seems like the New York Yankees have their designated pinch runner for September. The team announced signing outfielder Quintin Berry to a contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The player has been a part of the RailRiders’ active roster for the game held in Lehigh Valley on Monday.
Quintin was released by the Milwaukee Brewers a few days ago, and he is not a part of the 40-man roster. The 33-year-old veteran has spent most of the season in Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .214 (32 wRC+) with two homers and eleven RBI in 42 games and has 93 plate appearances. Though, he did manage to steal ten bases in 11 attempts. Berry has a career hit of .262 with three homers at the big league level in the 345 plate appearances he has made for the Red Sox, Tigers, Orioles, Cubs as well as Brewers.
As Berry signed the deal before Aug 31, he will be eligible for the postseason roster, despite him not being called until September 1. The injury Jacoby Ellsbury suffered now gives the Yankees a position player exemption for the postseason roster. If the team carries Berry on their postseason roster, then he would be a replacement of Ellsbury.
It is important to note here that Berry has experience in this designated pinch-runner role. Berry has done it for the 2012 Tigers, 2013 Red Sox as well as 2015 Cubs. It can be assumed that he is not as fast as he was in his twenties but he sure knows his role and has the experience in it.
The skill that Berry brings the best to the table is his speed which has let him steal 29 bases in his 31 attempts at the MLB level and collect 399 steals in the 496 attempts in the entire 13 seasons in the minor league.
