Yankees Trade For Outfielder Heliot Ramos: He Could Be A Key Fantasy Baseball Hitter With Aaron Judge On IL

Heading towards the MLB Trade Deadline, the New York Yankees needed a right-handed bat, and they pulled the trigger to get one when they acquired outfielder Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees shipped their No. 5 prospect, left-handed pitcher Henry Lalane and infielder Kaeden Kent to San Francisco. While Lalane might be the key piece in this deal, Kent is getting a lot of the headlines because he is the son of Giants' great Jeff Kent, who played six seasons in the Bay Area.

Yankees reportedly acquire OF Heliot Ramos from Giants, per multiple reports including @MLBNetwork insider @JonHeyman.

(MLB x @CohnReznick) pic.twitter.com/tYYRWiQDSr
— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2026

Adding a right-handed outfielder was a much needed move for the Yankees who are currently missing their entire outfield due to injury. Aarong Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Cody Bellinger are all on the IL and could be for quite some time still, especially Bellinger and Judge. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman explained why they wanted Ramos and how they want to use him.

“One of our first areas of need was to try to upgrade the offense in any way, shape or form while waiting for important players to come back off the IL,” Cashman said. “Ramos crushes left-handed pitching, García crushes right-handed pitching. … Aaron Boone has a better chance to match up than he did yesterday.”

Fantasy Impact

OF Heliot Ramos, New York Yankees

This is a tricky situation to judge for fantasy baseball owners. It's clear that the Yankees intend to utilize Ramos heavily against left-handed pitching. He'll likely be in the lineup against every lefty starter and often be used to pinch hit when the opportunity arises. With all the injuries in New York, he could get opportunities against righties as well.

Here is where things get tough. As the Yankees hitters get healthy, the offense will get significantly better, which should increase Ramos's fantasy value. However, it could also decrease his playing time, which will hurt his fantasy value.

If you own Ramos on your fantasy team, this could be a situation that you need to monitor from week to week. For now, he should be a strong option to get in your lineups when the Yankees are facing off with left-handers.

LHP Henry Lalane, San Francisco Giants

It was going to be tough to crack the rotation in New York or even get called up into the bullpen. They have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

A move to San Francisco should help fast-track his way to the big leagues. This is a great move for Lalane's long-term value. He is a name you should know heading into next fantasy baseball season.

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