New York Yankees Austin committed to attend
Kennesaw State University on a
college baseball scholarship to play for the
Kennesaw State Owls. Noticed by Yankees' area
scout Darryl Monroe, as a catcher. He made his professional debut with the
Gulf Coast Yankees of the
Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, playing in two games. Though he was drafted as a catcher, Austin spent most of his playing time as a
first baseman and
third baseman. After hitting 14 home runs with Charleston, the Yankees promoted Austin to the
Tampa Yankees of the
High–A Florida State League in July. He was chosen to represent the Yankees in the
All-Star Futures Game, but suffered a head injury in July 2012, which caused him to withdraw from the game. After the end of Tampa's regular season, the Yankees promoted Austin again, this time to the
Trenton Thunder of the
Double–A Eastern League, so that he could play for the Thunder during the Eastern League
postseason. He finished the 2012 season, hitting .322 with a .400 on base percentage, .559 slugging percentage, 17 home runs, and 80
runs batted in (RBIs).
Brian Cashman, the Yankees'
general manager, referred to Austin as a "mega
prospect" in August 2012. in 2014 Prior to the 2013 season, Austin was ranked as the 77th best prospect in baseball by
Baseball America. The Yankees invited Austin to
spring training in 2013 as a non-roster player. He played for Trenton, primarily as an
outfielder. He was selected to appear in the Eastern League All-Star Game. Austin went on the
disabled list with a wrist injury in July, which caused him to miss almost 60 games. He batted .257 with a .344 on-base percentage and a .373 slugging percentage with six home runs and 40 RBIs in 83 games for Trenton in 2013. Austin lost about by focusing on nutrition and gained strength during the 2013–14 offseason. He batted .275 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 105 games during the 2014 season. but his playing time was limited by a knee injury. On November 20, 2014, the Yankees added Austin to their
40-man roster to protect him from being selected in the
Rule 5 draft. Austin played for the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the
Triple–A International League at the start of the 2015 season. He struggled with the RailRiders, hitting .230 before missing time with an injury in late June. The Yankees demoted Austin to the Trenton Thunder after he batted .235 in 73 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He batted .260 with two home runs and eight RBIs for Trenton. He went unclaimed on
waivers, and the Yankees sent him outright to Trenton. The Yankees assigned him to the AFL for the third time after the 2015 season, as a replacement for the injured
Eric Jagielo. The Yankees did not invite Austin to spring training in 2016. He began the season with Trenton, where he batted .260 in 50 games. The Yankees promoted Austin to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during the season. Austin batted .323 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs in 57 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He made his major league debut that day. In his first
at bat, he hit his first major league home run off
Matt Andriese. With the next at bat,
Aaron Judge, also making his debut, hit a home run. This marked the first time that two teammates had hit home runs in their first at bats in the same game. Austin batted .241 with five home runs, but also had 36
strikeouts in 90
plate appearances. His second career home run came on his 25th birthday, giving the Yankees the lead in a win against the
Toronto Blue Jays. Then two days later, on September 8, Austin led-off the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off home run off
Erasmo Ramírez, to give the Yankees its season-high fifth consecutive victory, 5–4, over the visiting
Tampa Bay Rays. It was the third home run for Austin in his 17th career game. According to the
Elias Sports Bureau, Austin is the first player in the modern-era to hit a home run in his first at-bat, hit a home run on his birthday, and hit a walk-off home run within the first three home runs of his Major League career. Austin suffered a fracture of the navicular area of his left foot on February 17, 2017. He was ruled out for six weeks. On April 2, 2017, he was placed on the 60-day disabled list. He returned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on a rehabilitation assignment on May 26. The Yankees activated him from the disabled list and optioned him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 5. The Yankees promoted Austin to the major leagues on June 24, after
designating Chris Carter for assignment. He batted 2-for-13 (.154) with a home run in four games before injuring his right
hamstring. He went on the disabled list, and was activated and optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on August 11. On August 17, Austin was called back up after
Garrett Cooper was injured. On August 19, Austin hit a three-run homer off
Boston Red Sox ace
Chris Sale which helped them win a major game in a pennant race. Austin made the Yankees'
Opening Day roster in 2018. On April 11, 2018, against the Red Sox at
Fenway Park, Austin was hit by a pitch from
Joe Kelly in possible retaliation for spiking
Brock Holt earlier in the game. Austin then slammed his bat into the dirt in anger and
charged the mound, causing a bench-clearing brawl. Four players, including Austin, were ejected. This was Austin's first career ejection. The following day, Austin was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount. Austin's suspension was reduced to four games on appeal. On June 14, 2018, Austin was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
Minnesota Twins On July 30, 2018, the Yankees traded Austin and Luis Rijo to the
Minnesota Twins for
Lance Lynn. The Twins assigned him to the
Rochester Red Wings of the International League, whom Scranton was playing at the time. He also hit a home run in his first game with Rochester. The Twins promoted him to the major leagues, and he hit a home run in his first game as a Twin on August 11. Austin batted .236 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs in 35 games for the Twins, and 17 home runs in 69 games with the Yankees and Twins. Austin made the Twins' Opening Day roster in 2019, though the Twins also added
C. J. Cron and
Nelson Cruz as options to play first base and designated hitter. On April 6, 2019, Austin was designated for assignment following the selection of
Chase De Jong’s contract.
San Francisco Giants On April 8, 2019, the Twins traded Austin to the
San Francisco Giants for Malique Ziegler. Austin batted .187 for the Giants, and they designated him for assignment on August 2. Shortly thereafter, Austin elected free agency.
Milwaukee Brewers On August 16, 2019, Austin signed a minor league contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers, who assigned him to the
San Antonio Missions of the Triple-A
Pacific Coast League. After he batted .333 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 15 games for San Antonio, the Brewers promoted Austin to the major leagues on September 1. Austin became a free agent following the 2019 season.
Yokohama DeNA BayStars On November 15, 2019, Austin signed a one-year contract with the
Yokohama DeNA BayStars of
Nippon Professional Baseball. Austin made 65 appearances for the team in 2020, batting .286/.364/.605 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI. He returned to the team the following season, hitting .303/.405/.601 with 28 home runs and 74 RBI. Austin played in 38 games for Yokohama in the 2022 season, slashing .156/.289/.313 with one home run and three RBI. He appeared in 22 contests with the BayStars during the 2023 campaign, batting .277/.352/.404 with six RBI. Austin played in 106 games for Yokohama in 2024, slashing .316/.382/.601 with 25 home runs and 69 RBIs. He won the NPB batting title, edging out
Tokyo Yakult Swallows outfielder
Domingo Santana's .315 average. Austin made 65 appearances for the BayStars in the 2025 season, batting .269/.350/.484 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs. On November 13, 2025, Yokohama designated Austin as a free agent.
Chicago Cubs On December 18, 2025, Austin signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the
Chicago Cubs. On February 25, 2026, it was announced that Austin would miss "months" after undergoing a
debridement procedure on the
patellar tendon in his right knee. ==International career==