"He's Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The former Ranger also spent time with the Yankees before signing a 2-year, $15 million deal with the Blue Jays in 2024, who then traded him to the Pirates at that year's trade deadline, only to take him back a year later after he was cut by Pittsburgh. He's best known as the man who failed to take a secondary lead and got picked off at the plate as a pinch runner in the World Series."
"What IKF brings to the club in defense, though, he lacks profoundly at the plate, which is discouraging given that he's being pencilled into an infield that held one (or, really, two) All-Star caliber players twelve months ago. Kiner-Falefa was in the lowest tenth percentile in slugging percentage, exit velocity, barrel rate and walk rate last year. When he does hit the ball, there's not much thump to it, as he had an isolated power of .072 in 2025."
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a 30-year-old utility infielder known for defensive versatility across second, third and short and a 2020 Gold Glove. His recent career includes stints with the Rangers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Pirates and Red Sox, with a complex trade and signing history. He provides a right-handed bat to balance a lefty-heavy lineup and defensive reliability but offers minimal power and on-base ability. In 2025 he appeared in 138 games with nine errors, slashed .262/.297/.334, hit 2 home runs, struck out 77 times and walked 17 times, with an isolated power of .072.
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