The Yankees are set to add another arm for the stretch run, claiming right-hander John Schreiber off waivers from the Royals, according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post.
The move comes with some roster flexibility already built in. New York has a couple of open spots on the 40-man roster, and with active rosters expanding from 26 to 28 tomorrow, clubs can also go from a maximum of 13 pitchers to 14. That means the Yankees shouldn’t need to clear a spot elsewhere to bring Schreiber aboard.
Waiver season has become busy for a reason. At this stage of the calendar, teams out of the race often use waivers to trim a little payroll, since the claiming club picks up the contract.
And because September 1 is the cutoff for playoff eligibility, players are more likely to be claimed now than later. A player can also be placed on waivers without losing his roster spot, which gives clubs a chance to test the market for savings while keeping the player if no one bites.
There have already been a few notable names floating through waivers this week. Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl were both placed on waivers by the Reds and cleared, staying in Cincinnati. The Orioles, meanwhile, claimed Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the Mets, a move that will almost certainly stand as the biggest one of the year.
For the Royals, the timing fits their place in the standings. Even with a hot stretch, they’re still 7.5 games out of a playoff spot and effectively playing out the string.
The Yankees are in a very different spot, sitting virtually locked into the postseason with a ten-game cushion over the Orioles, the top team currently outside playoff position. New York also recently lost Fernando Cruz and Ryan Weathers to the injured list, leaving the pitching staff a little thinner.
Schreiber gives the Yankees a buy-low bullpen shot, even if this hasn’t been his cleanest season. His 3.65 ERA looks respectable, but the numbers underneath are less flattering: a 45.4% ground ball rate is solid, while his 17.7% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate are both below par. A .248 batting average on balls in play and 75.6% strand rate have helped keep more damage off the board than the rest of the profile suggests, and his 4.87 FIP and 4.54 SIERA may better reflect how he has actually pitched.
New York will be hoping for something closer to the version Schreiber showed from 2022 to 2025, when he logged 227 1/3 innings between the Red Sox and Royals with a 3.33 ERA, a 24.7% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate and a 47.1% ground ball rate. His velocity this year matches those seasons, so the Yankees may see room to get more out of him by changing how they use him or adjusting his pitch mix.
There’s also a financial wrinkle here. Schreiber is making $3.715MM this year, his final arbitration season before free agency, and roughly $535K remains to be paid.
The Royals will save that money. The Yankees will absorb it, and because they’re a third-time payor over the top line of the competitive balance tax, they’ll face a 110% rate on the addition.
In total, the claim will cost New York about $1.1MM as it looks to strengthen the bullpen for September and October.
In Other News...
Royals Bullpen Decision Could Suddenly Affect The Playoff Race
The Royals have spent much of this road trip trying to keep the bigger picture in view, even after a disappointing game threatened to sour the mood. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino helped frame the mindset on the trip, and there has been no shortage of support from the bottom and middle of the roster either, with role players like Josh Rojas giving Kansas City a lift in August, including a four-RBI game that stood out in a stretch when every timely hit has mattered.
But the bullpen picture has become more complicated with John Schreiber placed on waivers, a move that adds a little more uncertainty to a staff trying to hold together its place in the playoff race. Schreibers recent performance metrics have already been under the microscope, and now the Royals have to balance present-day leverage innings against the possibility that one roster decision could ripple into the standings at a time when every small edge feels amplified. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Just Made A Bullpen Decision Fans Will Want Explained
The Royals made a quiet but telling bullpen move over the weekend, losing right-hander John Schreiber on waivers to the Yankees. Schreiber had been one of Kansas Citys more dependable relief options this season, working in 55 appearances with a 3.65 ERA while handling a steady middle-inning role for a club trying to stay afloat in a crowded race.
For a team that has tried to squeeze value out of every roster spot, the decision brings a small financial benefit, with Kansas City set to save $600,000 in salary. Still, there is no compensation coming back in return, and Schreibers status as a free agent at seasons end makes the move feel like the kind of short-term bullpen call that can draw a few questions once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Daniel Lynch IV's New Role Is Becoming A Real Royals Problem
Daniel Lynch IVs move from bullpen weapon to rotation option was supposed to give the Royals a new kind of value arm, one who could stretch out and stabilize games while still leaning on the traits that made him so useful in relief. As a reliever, he had found a rhythm built on ground balls, weak contact and command that let Kansas City trust him in key spots. In 2026, though, the same pitcher has looked far less like that dependable leverage piece and more like a starter trying to force a profile that has not traveled as cleanly.
The concern for the Royals is not just that Lynch has been less effective in starts, but that the foundation of his success has started to slip with the added workload. His ERA has climbed, the walks have become more frequent and the contact he is allowing has not been as easy to manage. For a team trying to extract every bit of value from its pitching staff, Lynchs new role has turned into a real question about whether his best use is still in the rotation at all. [Read more 🡒]