TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees made a quiet roster move on Monday, two days before pitchers and catchers are set to report for spring training. They traded for a 28-year-old utility infielder from the Oakland Athletics who does not hit for much of an average.
On the surface, the deal barely moves the needle. It is the kind of transaction that fills out the bottom of a 40-man roster and gets buried between bigger MLB headlines.
But this one came with a backstory that will catch the attention of every Yankees fan who grew up watching No. 2 roam the shortstop grass at the old and new Yankee Stadium.
A glove-first pickup for a roster in flux
General manager Brian Cashman acquired Max Schuemann from the A’s on Monday in exchange for minor league right-hander Luis Burgos. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment. The club also outrighted right-hander Dom Hamel and infielder Braden Shewmake to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Schuemann is not going to light up a box score. The right-handed hitter batted .197 with two home runs, 13 RBI and a .568 OPS in 101 games for the A’s last season. His career MLB line sits at .212 with nine home runs, 47 RBI and a .603 OPS across 234 games over two seasons.
What he does bring is elite defensive versatility. Schuemann has logged time at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions at the major league level. Using Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average metric, he ranked in the 95th percentile among all qualified players in 2025. He graded as a plus-five at second base and a plus-four at third.
He also has speed. Schuemann has swiped 21 bases in 23 career attempts in the majors and once stole 52 bags in a single minor league season.
The Kalamazoo kid who idolized Jeter
Here is where the trade gets interesting for the pinstripe faithful. Schuemann was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. That is the same city where Derek Jeter spent most of his childhood before becoming the most iconic shortstop in MLB history.
When Schuemann made his big league debut as a rookie in April 2024, his first road trip included a stop at Yankee Stadium. He started at shortstop that day. The moment was not lost on him.
“I was pumped,” Schuemann said at the time, according to MLB.com. “I ran out there and took a couple of seconds to take it all in. That’s where he stood and that’s where he played every day for the Yankees. It was a pretty special moment.”
Now, instead of visiting Yankee Stadium as an opponent, Schuemann will call it home. The kid from Jeter’s hometown will wear the same pinstripes his idol wore for 20 seasons.
How Schuemann fits the Yankees’ spring roster
The timing of this deal is not a coincidence. Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe underwent offseason surgery on his left labrum and is not expected to be ready for Opening Day on March 25. He may not return until May.
Jose Caballero is expected to fill in as the starting shortstop while Volpe recovers. But Cashman is clearly stockpiling versatile defenders who can play multiple positions. Schuemann joins an infield depth chart that already includes Oswaldo Cabrera, Amed Rosario and Paul Goldschmidt.
Schuemann still has three minor league options remaining. That gives the Yankees flexibility to move him between the big league roster and Triple-A as needed throughout the season. He could also compete with Cabrera for a bench role during spring training.
What the A’s get in return
Burgos, 20, is a young right-hander whom the Yankees signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2024. He has spent his entire professional career in the Dominican Summer League, going 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA over 25 appearances across two seasons. In 2025, he posted a 2.44 ERA in 11 games, including eight starts, with 48 strikeouts in 51.2 innings.
It is a small price for a player who fills a specific need. The Yankees needed another right-handed bat with defensive chops who can bounce between positions. Schuemann checks every box.
A full-circle moment for a Kalamazoo native
Schuemann was drafted in the 20th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the A’s out of Eastern Michigan University. He spent six years in the minor leagues before finally reaching the big leagues in 2024. He is not a star. He may never become one.
But for a kid who grew up in Kalamazoo watching Jeter play shortstop on television, the chance to wear pinstripes is something bigger than a stat line. It is a childhood dream made real. And in a sport full of transactions that feel cold and transactional, this one has a little warmth to it.
Spring training opens this week in Tampa. And Max Schuemann, the glove-first utility man from Jeter’s hometown, will be there wearing the interlocking NY on his cap.
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