Spencer Steer is on the IL with a partial wrist tear — and he was the right-handed outfield option Jon Heyman had flagged for New York after the Bellinger injury. Six days to the deadline, the market just got thinner.

The Yankees' post-Bellinger shopping list lost a name before they could even make a call.

Spencer Steer, the Reds infielder/outfielder whom Jon Heyman of the New York Post had specifically named as a right-handed complement for New York after Cody Bellinger's Grade 2 hamstring IL trip, is now on the shelf himself. Cincinnati placed Steer on the 10-day IL on July 27 with what Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard confirmed is a partial tear of a sheath in his right wrist — the result of an awkward foul-ball swing in the fifth inning of a July 26 win over St. Louis. He'll be in a splint for two weeks. Buster Olney of ESPN reported a "significant absence." Manager Terry Francona was blunter: "He didn't fight me to come out of that game. That makes me nervous."

A deal isn't technically dead. MLBTR noted a buyer could still roll the dice on a quick recovery, and the Reds haven't completely closed the door — Steer is controllable through 2028, and Cincinnati planned to sell. But wrist injuries are notoriously tricky for hitters even after the acute soreness clears. Paying prospect capital for a guy in a splint who may or may not hit the same way on the other side is a different proposition than paying for a healthy Steer.

What he would have offered: .240/.320/.423 with 16 home runs and a 1.062 OPS against left-handed pitching across 382 plate appearances — exactly the right-handed, platoon-friendly production that a Yankees lineup missing both Aaron Judge (rib stress fracture, out since June 2) and Bellinger (4–6 weeks) desperately needs. New York has posted an 89 wRC+ in 45 games since Judge went down, tied for fourth-worst in the majors over that stretch.

With Steer likely unavailable, Lane Thomas of the Kansas City Royals is the clearest right-handed name still on a genuine seller. Thomas is useful — 115 wRC+ against southpaws this season — but he's a pure rental and platoon-dependent, posting a 90 wRC+ against right-handers. He's an add, not an answer.

Six days to the August 3 deadline. The market for right-handed outfield bats was already thin; it just got thinner.