Stunned Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader found out he had been placed on the waivers by club tv ’10-15 minutes’ before Tuesday game vs Tigers – and didn’t know what it meant
- The other 29 MLB clubs have a 48-hour period to claim the center fielder
- Bader still played for the Yankees on Tuesday, going 0-for-4 at the plate
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The New York Yankees decision to waive center fielder Harrison Bader came as a complete surprise to many – including Bader himself.
Bader was with the team in Detroit for a game against the Tigers when the Bronxville, NY native looked up at the TV in the clubhouse’s lunch room and saw the news that he had been placed on irrevocable waivers.
The outfielder told YES Network reporter Meredith Marakovits that his first reaction was, ‘What does waivers mean?’
‘In all seriousness, regardless of what happened or what may happen, just getting the opportunity to play in this uniform – and I still hope I get the opportunity to play in this uniform – just everything that’s happened has been an absolute blessing, and an absolute gift’ Bader said.
‘I’m a New York City kid and I never thought in a million years I’d play in the big leagues – let alone for the New York Yankees.’
Harrison Bader found out he was being waived by watching a TV in the clubhouse on Tuesday
Bader then went out and played against the Tigers – batting 0-for-4 and making an error
He admitted that being waived was on his mind throughout the game against Detroit
Bader was tasked with going back out and playing the game against Detroit as he waits out a 48-hour period where he can be claimed by any team.
During that game, he went 0-for-4 and committed an uncharacteristic error in the outfield.
When asked if the waiver was on his mind during the game, Bader replied, ‘I’m human, so yeah, maybe a little bit.
‘But I did a really good job, once you get between the white lines, of just turning it off. It’s kind of in those moments in between, when you put your helmet down and stuff, when you’re just like, “Hmm, that really happened.”‘
If he’s not picked up by any of the 29 other clubs in Major League Baseball, then Bader will remain on the Yankees’ roster.
After starting the 2023 season on injury reserve, Bader went on to hit seven home runs in 281 at-bats across 82 games. He’s slashed .242/.279/.370 so far this season.