MLB

Ex-Tiger Boesch joins Yankees outfield fray

HI BOESCH: Pull-happy lefty Brennan Boesch, a former Tiger signed to compete for a Yankees roster spot, may be a good fit for the Stadium’s short right field. (
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TAMPA — After their interest in retired players Chipper Jones and Derrek Lee went nowhere, the Yankees decided to sign a released player instead.

Former Tigers outfielder Brennan Boesch signed a major league deal yesterday to compete for an outfield spot.

The lefty-hitting Boesch, 27, spent the last three years in Detroit. Though his production slipped last year, the Yankees are looking for outfield help and a power bat wherever they can find it with Curtis Granderson sidelined at least until May because of a broken forearm.

Boesch, who has an option remaining, would make $1.5 million if he makes the team. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees placed Michael Pineda on the 60-day disabled list.

After a promising 2010 rookie season, Boesch hit 16 homers in 2011 before his OPS dropped from .799 to .659 last year.

Boesch lost his spot on the Tigers’ postseason roster, and Andy Dirks secured the left field job this spring. Offseason signing Torii Hunter is established in right field, making Boesch expendable.

PHOTOS: YANKEES SPRING TRAINING

Boesch was slowed by an oblique injury this spring and went 3-for-16 with two walks in 18 plate appearances before his release. The Tigers opted to cut him rather than pay him the $2.3 million he was owed.

“He is a project right now because he is messed up with his swing,” a National Leauge scout said.

Still, the scout said he believed Boesch could take advantage of the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium.

“Right now he is trying to pull too much and his contact point is way too far out in front,” the scout said. “In that ballpark, he has a chance to help.’’

Boesch is 11-for-32 in his career in The Bronx with just one home run.

The Yankees will take another flier, as they have with reclamation projects Matt Diaz, Ben Francisco, Juan Rivera and Thomas Neal, as well as younger players Melky Mesa and Zoilo Almonte.

Of that group, only Boesch and Almonte hit from the left side.

None of the players the Yankees have trotted out to the outfield have stood out as they try to figure out how to survive without Granderson and Mark Teixeira (strained wrist tendon).

If Boesch makes the Opening Day roster, it may open up an opportunity for Rivera to play first base in Teixeira’s absence, keep Kevin Youkilis at third base.

—Additional reporting by George A. King III