On Monday afternoon, the Red Sox once again tapped into their middle infield talent to finalize a trade with the Pirates. In this deal, Boston sent infield prospect Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh in exchange for right-hander Quinn Priester. Yorke becomes the third young infielder traded by the Red Sox in the past three days, following Eddinson Paulino and Cutter Coffey, who were moved to the Blue Jays along with righty Gilberto Batista for catcher Danny Jansen on Saturday.
Yorke, 22, was ranked as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system by Baseball America entering Monday. This season, he posted a .310/.408/.490 line with eight doubles, six home runs, 19 RBIs, 32 runs scored, six stolen bases, 24 walks, and 32 strikeouts in 38 games (169 plate appearances) for Triple-A Worcester, after being promoted from Double-A Portland in early June.
“Nick had an outstanding season,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted to reporters, including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. “He’s a talented player, but given our current roster and organizational needs, it was a move we had to make.”
The Red Sox selected Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the shortened 2020 draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., bypassing his commitment to the University of Arizona with a $2.7 million signing bonus. He debuted professionally the following May and excelled, hitting .325/.412/.516 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs, and 62 RBIs across 97 games (442 plate appearances) between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville as a 19-year-old in 2021.
Recognized as the organization’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year, Yorke entered 2022 ranked as the No. 31 prospect in the sport by Baseball America. However, injuries to his toe, back, and wrist limited him to 80 games with Greenville, where he batted .232/.303/.365 over 373 plate appearances. Despite falling off the top-100 list, he had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League and rebounded in 2023 with a .268/.350/.435 line in 110 games (506 plate appearances) for Portland, earning a spot in the All-Star Futures Game and being named the Sea Dogs’ Most Valuable Player.
Yorke returned to Portland to start the 2024 season and posted a .251/.325/.366 line in 45 games (197 plate appearances). Though his .691 OPS wasn’t particularly impressive, he made progress with his swing decisions and hard-hit rate, leading to his promotion to Worcester on June 5. Additionally, Yorke played the outfield for the first time in his career, making 11 starts in left field for the Sea Dogs and 15 for the WooSox, largely due to Vaughn Grissom’s rehabilitation.
With a crowded middle infield at the upper levels of the Red Sox system, including Grissom, David Hamilton, Enmanuel Valdez, Chase Meidroth, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell, Yorke became expendable. The Red Sox took advantage of this depth to address a pitching need by acquiring Priester.
“Quinn is a young starter with significant potential,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He commands the strike zone well, induces ground balls, and shows promise as a rotation piece. While it’s tough to part with a talented player like Nick, we have a surplus of upper-level middle infielders.”
Yorke, who won’t turn 23 until next April, will join the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. If he does not make his major league debut by season’s end, he will need to be added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster this winter to avoid exposure in the Rule 5 Draft.
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