Yankees trade a ‘dream’ for Austin Slater as he jumps into lineup

Aaron Boone didn’t waste any time getting Austin Slater involved.

The Yankees’ new addition — acquired Wednesday from the White Sox ahead of the MLB trade deadline — was immediately in the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Rays in The Bronx.

He started in right field and batted seventh.

“As a kid,” Slater said before the game, “you always dream about playing for the Yankees.”

The Yankees sent pitching prospect Gage Ziehl to Chicago as part of the deal.

Slater, a right-handed batter, thrives against left-handed pitching and as a pinch-hitter. He entered Thursday with an .859 OPS against lefties this year.

And his eight pinch-hit home runs since 2017 are tied for the most in MLB over that span.

That’s the role he is expecting in Pinstripes.

“That’s been my career arc over the last five years, it’s something I’ve been used to,” Slater said. “Get ready for pinch-hits, get ready when there’s a lefty starter on the mound.

“It’s something [hitting lefties] that I’ve always been able to do going all the way back to the minors. Then over the last couple of years, I’ve seen mostly just lefties, that helps too. When you haven’t seen a righty in a couple of weeks, it looks a little different.”

Slater’s Yankees debut came against a righty, though, in Rays starter Ryan Pepiot.

“Pepiot is a guy that’s been really tough on lefties this year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “With [Trent Grisham], after a long game last night, a day game, just [the hamstring injury] he’s been dealing with, just want to be mindful of that, especially as we head into two series where we’re gonna be on turf. Hopefully Slater can give us a little spark in there and contribute to what’s going on.”

Slater was largely expecting to be moved ahead of the deadline. Now, he quickly goes from a bottom-feeding side in the White Sox to a playoff contender in the Yankees.

“I came in and watched that game [Wednesday] night, it was incredible,” Slater said. “For me, that’s a big reason why I play this game, what motivates me, to work harder, to get better, is to play in those types of moments. A huge boost for me.”