Yankees catchers Austin Wells and Jose Trevino had 21 home runs combined, just four more than Higashioka, who served as a backup in San Diego. Wells alone did surpass Higashioka’s RBI total by a significant amount – 55 RBI to 45.

A trade for Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger and signing first baseman Christian Walker could be potential options if Soto heads elsewhere.

Just a week after reporting that the New York Yankees were facing a “rising threat” from their arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox in the hunt to sign generational free agent slugger Juan Soto, veteran New York Post baseball insider Jon Heyman reported on Monday that the Bombers remain very much in contention for the 26-year-old