Former Boston Red Sox infielder Jeter Downs was released by the New York Yankees on Tuesday and will head to Japan for the remainder of the 2024 season. Downs signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Downs, who joined the Yankees last offseason after a disappointing stint with the Washington Nationals, didn’t make it to the MLB roster. He played 69 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting 10 home runs and recording 38 RBIs with a .858 OPS.
Red Sox fans might remember Downs as part of the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, along with Connor Wong and Alex Verdugo. Verdugo also joined the Yankees last offseason when the Red Sox traded him to their American League East rivals.
Downs appeared in 20 MLB games over two seasons, hitting one home run and driving in five runs with a .533 OPS. He will now look to rejuvenate his career in Japan’s NPB.