DETROIT — Harrison Bader was in the kitchen inside the Yankees’ clubhouse about 10-15 minutes before Tuesday’s game when he looked up at the TV that was tuned into ESPN and learned he had been placed on waivers.
His first reaction was, “What does waivers mean?” Then after finding out, the pending free-agent center fielder had to go play a game.
The Yankees placed Bader on irrevocable waivers Tuesday, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported, giving contending teams the chance to claim him and have him on their roster by Friday, which would make him eligible for their postseason roster.
If Bader is not claimed during the 48-hour waivers period, he would remain on the Yankees’ roster.
In the meantime, Bader entered limbo while awaiting his fate.
“I’ll just be by my phone,” Bader said after the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park. “But listen, it is what it is. Regardless of the situation, you get an opportunity to play baseball, especially in the big leagues, you never take that for granted.”
Manager Aaron Boone said he could not comment on the news.
In potentially one of his final games as a Yankee, Bader went 0-for-4 and committed an uncharacteristic error in center field. He said the waiver news did cross his mind at some points during the game.
“I’m human, so yeah, maybe a little bit,” he said. “But I did a really good job, once you get between the white lines, of just turning it off. It’s kind of in those moments in between, when you put your helmet down and stuff, when you’re just like, ‘Hmm, that really happened.’ ”
The Yankees acquired Bader at last year’s trade deadline from the Cardinals and then opted not to move him at this year’s deadline, instead trying to see if they could go on a run to make the playoffs. But they have only continued to sink, which has recently led them to prioritize younger players that could be part of their future.
Bader, who had sat twice in the last four games before Tuesday while going through a brutal slump at the plate, said he has appreciated his time with the Yankees.
“Regardless of what happened or may happen, just getting the opportunity to play in this uniform — and I still hopefully do get the opportunity to play in this uniform — just everything that’s happened has been an absolute blessing and an absolute gift,” the Bronxville native said. “I never in a million years thought I’d play in the big leagues, let alone for the New York Yankees. So just the opportunity has been incredible and I’ve loved every second of it.”
Bader admitted that it was “a little weird” finding out about going on waivers via ESPN — it is not uncommon for teams not to tell players about going on irrevocable waivers — though he did not seem upset by it.
“I never even watch ESPN, that’s what’s funny about it,” he said during a lighthearted session with reporters. “I just don’t even watch ESPN and all of a sudden here we go. Tune in, timing is everything. … Who knows what happens? I just know when I get the bat in my hands and I get an opportunity to play center field, I know what I can do. So I’m just excited and we’ll see where it goes.”
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