NEW YORK — First baseman Mike Ford was traded by the New York Yankees to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday for $100,000 and a player to be named.
Ford was designated for assignment Saturday when reliever Zack Britton was activated from the injured list.
The money in the trade is payable July 1.
Ford, who turns 29 on July 4, had a strong rookie season with the Yankees in 2019, hitting .259 with 12 homers and 25 RBI in 143 at-bats over 50 games.
But he slumped to a .135 average with two homers and 11 RBI in 74 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. With first base time available this year because of Luke Voit‘s injuries, Ford batted .133 with three homers and five RBI in 60 at-bats.
A rare left-handed hitter on the current Yankees, Ford had a .199 average with 17 homers and 41 RBI in parts of three major league seasons.
Ford hit .083 (2 for 24) with one RBI in seven games this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was optioned to Triple-A Durham by the Rays.
Tampa Bay activated right-hander Collin McHugh from the COVID-19 related injured list, transferred right-hander Tyler Glasnow (sprained right elbow) to the 60-day injured list and optioned right-hander Chris Mazza to Durham.