Twins claim OF Bubba Thompson off waivers from Yankees

NEW YORK -- Bubba Thompson was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins from the New York Yankees on Wednesday, moving to his fourth team of the offseason.

Infielder Jeter Downs and outfielder Oscar González passed through waivers and were assigned outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Thompson, 25, was designated for assignment Friday to open a roster spot for right-hander Luke Weaver. Thompson was claimed by the Yankees off waivers on Jan. 4 from Cincinnati, which claimed him on Oct. 26 from Kansas City. The Royals had claimed him from Texas on Aug 13.

He hit .170 (9-for-53) with no homers, four RBIs and four stolen bases in 37 games with Texas last year.

Downs was designated for assignment Friday, one month after the Yankees claimed the 25-year-old shortstop off waivers from the Washington Nationals. The Yankees needed the roster spot after claiming infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo off waivers from the New York Mets.

Named after former Yankees captain Derek Jeter, Downs was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox as part of a package for Mookie Betts in 2020. He made his big league debut with Boston in 2022 and hit .154 (6-for-39) with one homer and four RBIs. He was claimed by the Nationals off waivers last Dec. 22 and was 2-for-5 this year with one RBI and two stolen bases. He hit .236 with three homers, 18 RBIs and 11 steals this year for Triple-A Rochester.

Gonzalez, whose walk-off single beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the 2022 AL Division Series, was claimed by New York off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Dec. 1. The 25-year-old outfielder is a right-handed hitter and batted .214 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 54 games last year. He was designated for assignment on Jan. 17 to open a roster spot for right-hander Marcus Stroman.