Former Dodger Prospect Involved in Darvish Deal is Heading to the Yankees

The Yankees have signed outfielder Willie Calhoun to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. With the given contract, Calhoun will also have the ability to attend New York’s big league Spring Training camp.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Calhoun in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft. A couple years later in 2017, Calhoun was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Yu Darvish. Calhoun hit .269/.323/.524 with 21 homers over 337 plate appearances in 2019 before suffering an injury in 2020.

In March 2020, Calhoun was hit in his face by a 95-mile-per-hour fastball during a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After fracturing and displacing his jaw, Calhoun was able to heal and recover during the COVID-19 shutdown just in time for the following season.

It was still a rocky journey to return back into full form, as Calhoun spent over three months on the injured list due to a forearm injury. Because of his inactivity, the Rangers sent Calhoun down to Triple-A in 2022.

Following this move, Calhoun requested for a trade and ended up on the Giants earlier this year in June in exchange for Steven Duggar. During his time on the Giants, Calhoun appeared in four MLB games before being designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster in September.

Calhoun elected to become a free agent after the season ended in hopes to revamp his career. The outfielder is now ready to take on a new opportunity and give the Yankees his all.

Currently, Calhoun’s slash line is at .221/.286/.335 over his last 454 Major League PA. Now that Calhoun has landed a new team, this could be a perfect time to rediscover his form.