New Yankees Trade Rumors on Luis Robert Jr. Interest, Potential Targets Before MLB Deadline

The New York Yankees reportedly could look to add a right-handed hitter in the outfield ahead of the trade deadline.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the Yankees are "leery" about New York Mets outfielder Luis Robert Jr. because of his injury history. If they are available, Heyman noted that New York might have interest in Lane Thomas, Spencer Steer, Jo Adell, Jorge Soler or George Springer.

Robert reportedly has received interest from a handful of teams ahead of the deadline, with the Mets presumably aiming to be sellers this year.

Robert is a former All-Star, Gold Glove Award winner and Silver Slugger, but has mostly had a season to forget. The 28-year-old has played in just 30 games this year after missing all of May and June and most of July with a back injury.

While Robert has struggled at the plate, slashing .210/.319/.360 with four homers and 10 RBI, he's been solid on defense since his debut in 2020, ranking 10th in outs against average over the last six and a half seasons.

Robert is in the final year of his contract and has a $20 million team option next season, which could make him an enticing target for the Yankees or another team if they're willing to look past his injury history.

While none of the other aforementioned players would be a perfect fit for the Yankees, Spencer Steer perhaps makes the best case since he can play in both the outfield and the infield. He's also collected 16 homers and 40 RBI with a .238 batting average this year.

Of course, whether New York can land Steer or another player on the list depends on whether their respective teams are open for business.

The Yankees are sitting in second place in the AL East and 6.5 games ahead in the wild card race at 59-45. They struggled during the back stretch of the first half of the season, but have won nine of their last 12 games.

Star right fielder Aaron Judge is still working his way back from a rib injury. Once he's able to return, New York's lineup will get a major boost.