MLB Transaction Tracker

Yankees acquire Chris Nelson from Rockies

New York has added some much-needed depth at the hot corner.

By Nate A. May 3, 2013, 7:05am EDT

The New York Yankees acquired third baseman Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies on Thursday in exchange for cash or a player to be named later, the team announced.

Nelson was off to a slow start for the Rockies -- batting just .242/.282/.318 through 21 games -- and was designated for assignment over the weekend to make room for top prospect Nolan Arenado. New York was rumored to be in discussions about Nelson on Wednesday, but it didn't appear at the time that the club was too interested in acquiring the infielder. I guess they were.

Nelson, 27, gives the Yanks a much-needed second option at third base other than Jayson Nix. With both Kevin Youkilis and Alex Rodriguez are on the sidelines, Nix was the club's last line of defense at the left-side corner.

Both Nix and Nelson bat from the right side, so the club doesn't gain any sort of platoon advantage, but just having an extra wam body to throw in the lineup should help nonetheless. Nelson is a solid .279/.322/.416 hitter with 13 home runs in 664 plate appearances, but is a bit of a liability on defense and has not played well at all away from Coors Field.

To make room on the roster for Nelson, New York moved catcher Francisco Cervelli to the 60-day DL.