Although Braden Shewmake was a first round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2019, and rose as high as sixth in MLB Pipeline's top-30 Braves prospects, the club wasn't optimistic about his future, and traded him with four other players to the Chicago White Sox for Aaron Bummer.
Two years later, despite having terrible major league stats and producing mediocre results in the minor leagues, Braden Shewmake has become someone the New York Yankees refuse to part with, and it's driving Yankees fans insane.
Braden Shewmake is invincible on Yankees' 40-man roster...for some reason
Shewmake's tenure on the Braves big league roster lasted all of two games, with the then-25 year-old getting four at bats, recording zero hits. He spent the remainder of the 2023 season in the minors.
The White Sox gave the shortstop a slightly longer leash than the Braves after being traded, but Shewmake didn't make much of the opportunity, slashing .125./134/.203 in 67 plate appearances. The White Sox, who nearly set a record for most losses in a season, felt he was not good enough for their 40-man roster that offseason and designated him for assignment.
After bouncing around on the waiver wire, Shewmake eventually found himself on the Yankees 40-man roster during the 2024-2025 offseason. Shewmake didn't make the Yankees team out of spring training, as he slashed an abysmal .077/.133/.077, but New York used his final option, sending him to the minors, where he spent the entire 2025 season, aside from two IL stints in April and July.
When Shewmake did play, his .244/.318/.362 slash line in Triple-A was far from impressive, but was somehow able to stick it out on the Yankees 40-man roster for the entire season.
However, entering this offseason, it seemed like the now 28-year-old with a career -20 wRC+ in the major leagues would likely hit the waiver wire at some point, especially considering that he is completely out of options.
The Yankees, for whatever reason, refuse to let him go. This offseason alone, they've designated four players for assignment, including two MLB outfielders in Michael Siani and Marco Luciano, both of whom have provided much more offensive and defensive value than Shewmake in the bigs, albeit in the outfield rather than at shortstop.
Shewmake's survival on the Yankees 40-man roster has caused Yankees fans intense agony, with Big Baby David of Jomboy Media tweeting the meme, "He can't keep getting away with it!" from Breaking Bad. FanSided's own Adam Weinrib questioned whether the Yankees even remembered that Shewmake was on the team's roster.
Oddly, it's not as though the Yankees are stretched for backup infielders. The club employs Oswaldo Cabrera and José Caballero, who both can handle shortstop, as well as Amed Rosario, who could handle the position in a pinch, meaning there's no real reason for the Yankees to be so clingy to a non-prospect who's out of options.
For whatever reason, Shewmake survives another day on the Yankees active roster, while their fans remain scratching their heads.