Even teams that reach the heights of the World Series — like, say, the 2024 Yankees — often have players who become forgotten footnotes in a season. These individuals might be injury replacements or players acquired in an attempt to bolster the roster. No team operates with the same 26-player active roster throughout an entire season, especially in this modern era of baseball. This constant turnover inevitably leads to a handful of players who contribute briefly before disappearing into the annals of memory.
With the 2024 season now in the books, let’s take a nostalgic look back at some of those unexpected figures and brief tenures that punctuated the Yankees’ journey.
As anticipated, bullpen units often see significant roster fluctuation, and the 2024 Yankees were no exception. Who among us can recall Anthony Misiewicz’s singular inning or Clayton Andrews’ fleeting performance? Among those who appeared in more than one game were Phil Bickford (8.64 ERA across 8.1 innings), Josh Maciejewski (2.57 ERA in 7.0 innings), and, of course, Enyel De Los Santos.
De Los Santos’ name resonates beyond a simple roster entry due to the circumstances surrounding his brief stint. Acquired from the Padres at the trade deadline as the Yankees sought bullpen reinforcement, he arguably exacerbated their problems, posting a 14.21 ERA in just 6.1 innings across five games. He was designated for assignment less than three weeks after joining the team, and to add insult to injury, the Chicago White Sox — infamous for their struggles that season — claimed him off waivers.
A shout-out goes to Dennis Santana, who managed 23 appearances during this season but remains largely a forgotten memory months later. This might be attributed to his June DFA.
Another pitcher who may fade into obscurity from the 2024 season is Cody Poteet. Appearing in five games, he started four contests for the Yankees during the first half as a spot starter. His final start was on June 7th against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers, where he pitched a duel with the star pitcher. Poteet shut down LA over 4.2 innings, allowing only two hits and striking out even the red-hot Mookie Betts.
Among position players, few are as easily forgotten as Kevin Smith’s brief time with the 2024 Yankees (his name certainly doesn’t help in this regard). Primarily an infielder, Smith appeared in two games but never had a plate appearance.Remarkably, both his appearances were as a pinch-runner in the final inning of eventual losses. In one instance, he pinch-ran for designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, meaning Kevin Smith essentially served as the Yankees’ DH for a game without ever batting.
Triple-A catcher Carlos Narváez enjoyed a quick stint in the majors while Jose Trevino was recovering from an injury. Meanwhile, Taylor Trammell somehow finished his Yankees tenure with a 1.000 batting average and a negative Baseball Reference WAR — though he did snag a World Series ring thanks to an early-season appearance with the Dodgers.
The two most notable random Yankee position players of the 2024 season are likely Jahmai Jones and J.D. Davis. Jones might not qualify as truly “random,” having appeared in 33 games, but one remembers him leading off once (July 23rd). Davis, on the other hand, became infamous during his tenure. The team acquired him from the A’s, hoping for any offensive production at first base. He ultimately failed to deliver. Despite starting at cleanup four times and DHing on a couple occasions, he managed an abysmal 13 OPS+ in 22 plate appearances as a Yankee. He even disappeared for a couple of weeks with a stomach flu.
We hope this walk down memory lane transported you back to moments you might have completely forgotten about, despite those events occurring just months ago.
