Yankees bolster outfield, acquire veteran Austin Slater from Chicago White Sox

Article content

Austin Slater is heading to the New York Yankees.

The Yankees acquired the veteran outfielder from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for minor league pitching prospect Gage Ziehl.

The Yankees have a pressing need to bolster their outfield ranks with star Aaron Judge out indefinitely while dealing with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

The 32-year-old Slater hit .236 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 51 games with the White Sox this season. He has an .859 OPS against left-handed pitching.

“Really enjoyed my time here and met some incredible people,” Slater said. “Super fun clubhouse to be in. But then also really excited to go play for the Yankees. One of those teams as a kid you always dream about playing for. And they are right in a race for the playoffs. Excited to go there and try to help them out.”

The well-traveled Slater can play all three outfield positions. He spent the first seven-plus seasons of his career with San Francisco before being traded to Cincinnati last summer. New York will be Slater’s fifth team in just over a year.

“At this point, we’re a little more prepared than we were last year,” Slater said. “It was something, there was always writing on the wall that it could happen. That maybe helped us mentally prepare a little bit more this year.”

The Yankees will assume $564,516 of Slater’s remaining $1.75 million salary, which also will increase their luxury tax by about $621,000.

The trade is the latest in what has been a busy run-up to Thursday’s deadline by New York. The Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from Colorado and infielder Amed Rosario from Washington over the last week.

The last-place White Sox scratched right-hander Adrian Houser from his scheduled start Wednesday against Philadelphia. But center fielder Luis Robert Jr. — another player who could be on the move ahead of the deadline — was in the lineup.

The 32-year-old Houser has been a pleasant surprise for Chicago after signing a $1.35 million, one-year contract on May 20. He is 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts.

“Just with Houser, we were transparent with him, just the market around him and the potential for a trade,” White Sox manager Will Venable said of the pitching change. “Just thought it was in everyone’s best interest to switch starters today.”

The White Sox also recalled outfielder Will Robertson from Triple-A Charlotte before their series finale against the Phillies.