NEW YORK -- The Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made a trade Wednesday, acquiring utility man Cody Asche from the Royals for a player to be named later or cash, the team said.

Here's what it could mean:

Who is Asche? Asche, 27, has played in parts of five big-league seasons, hitting .234 with 32 homers and 129 RBI in 390 games. He's got a career .287 batting average in the minors. The lefty hitter doesn't have any platoon -- split in the majors, anyway, posting a .673 OPS vs. righties and a .647 OPS vs. lefties. He plays a bunch of positions. Primarily a third baseman (483 professional games), he's also spent 187 games in left field and 15 games at first base.

What will he do? Probably just provide depth, for now. He played just 19 big league games last year, all with the White Sox. The former fourth-round pick hasn't been a full-time major-leaguer since 2014 and 2015 with the Phillies. Someone has to play third base at Triple-A when Miguel Andujar is with the Yankees. That he plays the outfield helps, considering the many injuries the Yankees' outfield has sustained. A quick recap of outfielders on the disabled list: Aaron Hicks (right intercostal strain), Jacoby Ellsbury (right oblique strain and hip pain) and Billy McKinney (left AC joint sprain).

Remember: The Yankees acquired outfielder Trayce Thompson -- yes, Warriors guard Klay Thompson's brother -- from the Dodgers on Tuesday. It was a waiver claim. On Wednesday, manager Aaron Boone said Thompson would start in Triple-A, though it's possible the team could call him up over the next few days to serve as a reserve outfielder.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.