The 30-year-old first baseman recently underwent knee surgery after he injured himself on the first swing he took during Grapefruit League play. He’ll start his 2024 season at Triple-A Sugar Land.

Hard hittin’ Gittens is back stateside following a two-year odyssey overseas with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. The 29-year-old slugger got a chance back in 2021 for the Yankees, batting .111 (4-for-36) with one homer and five RBI in 16 contests. He’ll compete in spring training for a spot on Houston’s season-opening roster, but will most likely wind up starting the 2024 campaign back at Triple-A Sugar Land.

Gittens joins former Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka in Japan for the upcoming 2022 season. The 27-year-old slugger was released by the Yankees to pursue an opportunity overseas back in November. The power-hitting first baseman tore the cover off the ball, clobbering 14 home runs in just 184 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, but struggled mightily in a brief 16-game major-league cameo, slashing .111/.250/.194 with one round-tripper in 44 plate appearances.

According to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, Gittens plans on signing on with a team in Japan. The 27-year-old had 44 plate appearances for the Yankees and finished with a .111 average and .444 OPS in that limited opportunity. He's shown considerable power in the minors, however, and he should get a chance to show off his pop in Japan.