The
New York Yankees have reunited with outfielder
Juan Rivera, a source tells ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews. It is a minor league deal, allowing Rivera to compete with
Matt Diaz and
Russ Canzler to be a right-handed-hitting outfielder for the Yankees.
With
Ichiro Suzuki and
Brett Gardner joining
Curtis Granderson in the outfield, whomever wins the spot(s) figures to receive plenty of playing time. Ichiro, Gardner and Granderson are all lefties.
In 109 games with the
Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, Rivera hit .244 with nine homers and 47 RBIs. Against lefties, he hit .260 with a .745 OPS. He missed a portion of the season with an injured hamstring.
Rivera, 34, began his career with the Yankees, playing his initial three seasons in the Bronx. In 2003, the Yankees traded him, along with
Nick Johnson and
Randy Choate to the Montreal Expos for
Javier Vazquez.