<
>

Dodgers-Yankees trade opens roster spot for Shohei Ohtani

In a move that opens up a 40-man roster spot for Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded reliever Victor Gonzalez and infielder Jorbit Vivas to the New York Yankees for shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney, it was announced Monday.

The Dodgers reached a 10-year, $700 million deal with Ohtani on Saturday and officially announced the deal Monday. The move also makes room on the Dodgers' roster for Joe Kelly, who reached a deal Saturday to return to the team.

Sweeney, 23, the 20th pick in the 2021 MLB draft, batted .252 with 13 homers, 49 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 100 games at Double-A Somerset last season.

Anthony Volpe took over the Yankees' shortstop job as a rookie last season.

The left-handed Gonzalez, 28, went 3-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 33 relief appearances with the Dodgers in 2023, striking out 33 and walking 10 in 33⅔ innings. He averaged 94.6 mph with his sinker and also throws sliders and changeups.

Gonzalez, who missed the 2022 season after starting on the injured list, is 9-4 with one save and a 3.22 ERA in 93 career games with Los Angeles since 2020.

Vivas, 22, split last season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City and batted .269 with 13 homers, 63 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 135 games. He played second and third base.

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.