Yankees acquire INF/OF Brandon Drury

The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired INF/OF Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks. As part of the trade, the Yankees sent INF Nick Solak to the Tampa Bay Rays and RHP Taylor Widener to Arizona. Additionally, outfielder Stephen Souza, Jr. was traded from Tampa Bay to Arizona, and LHP Anthony Banda was traded from Arizona to Tampa Bay along with two players to be named later.
Drury, 25, batted .267 (119-for-445) with 41R, 37 doubles, 2 triples, 13HR, 63RBI and 28BB with a .764 OPS in 135 games in 2017 with the Diamondbacks, including 109 starts as a second baseman. His 37 doubles last season were tied for seventh in the National League. Over this three-year Major League career (2015-17), the Grants Pass, Ore., native is a .271 hitter (261-for-962) with 103R, 71 doubles, 31HR, 124RBI, 61BB and a .767 OPS in 289 total games (238 starts), including 121 starts as a second baseman, 34 as a third baseman, 52 as a left fielder and 27 as a right fielder. Originally drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 draft by the Atlanta Braves, Drury was acquired by Arizona on January 24, 2013, along with Nick Ahmed, Randall Delgado, Martin Prado and Zeke Spruill for Chris Johnson and Justin Upton.
Solak, 23, split the 2017 season between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton, combining to hit .297/.384/.452 (138-for-465) with 72R, 26 doubles, 5 triples, 12HR, 53RBI, 63BB and 14SB in 130 games. He had the sixth-highest batting average among Yankees farmhands, led the Florida State League in on-base percentage (.397) and OPS (.856), ranked second in batting average (.301) and third in slugging percentage (.460) en route to being named an FSL Postseason All-Star. The Woodridge, Ill., native attended the University of Louisville and was originally selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
Widener, 23, made 27 starts for Single-A Tampa in 2017, going 7-8 with a 3.39 ERA (119.1IP, 45ER) and 129K. He led the Florida State League in starts, WHIP (1.15), opponents' batting average (.206) and K/9.0IP (9.73), while ranking third in strikeouts and fourth in ERA. Among Yankees minor leaguers, he had the fourth-most strikeouts. A native of Aiken, S.C., Widener attended the University of South Carolina and was originally selected by the Yankees in the 12th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
Both Solak and Widener were attending 2018 Major League spring training with the Yankees as non-roster invitees.
To make room on the 40-man roster, OF Jabari Blash was designated for assignment.