The Yankees have dipped back into the bullpen market, and this time the move came off waivers.
New York claimed right-hander John Schreiber from the Kansas City Royals on Monday, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. The 32-year-old had been placed on waivers by Kansas City on Saturday.
The timing works cleanly for the Yankees. With rosters set to expand from 26 to 28 on Tuesday, clubs can carry as many as 14 pitchers, and New York also recently designated reliever Justin Topa for assignment, so no corresponding move is needed to bring Schreiber aboard.
Schreiber arrives with a solid stat line in hand. He posted a 3.65 ERA across 55 appearances with the Royals and is set to become a free agent soon.
He also brings a familiar résumé from the American League East, having been an important piece of the Boston Red Sox bullpen from 2021 through 2023. In that first season, he even collected eight saves against the Yankees’ longtime rival.
One of the more interesting parts of Schreiber’s profile is the way his results have been built. Connor Byrne of MLB Trade Rumors wrote, "Schreiber is running a 45.4% ground-ball rate, one of the highest of his career, though his strikeout (18%) and walk (11%) numbers have gone in the wrong direction,"
The Yankees have been searching for relief help after missing on a reliever or two at the deadline, and they’ve now turned to outside additions through both free agency and waivers. They signed right-hander Michael Fulmer last week, and he has already logged two scoreless outings.
What Schreiber’s exact role will be remains to be seen, but the Yankees are clearly banking on him having enough left to handle meaningful innings over the final stretch of the regular season.
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By late August, the numbers had backed up the breakout, with 23 home runs and an .832 OPS on the season. The bigger intrigue for the Royals is what comes next, because the improved plate discipline and elite exit velocity suggest this isnt just a hot stretch but a possible long-term answer in the middle of their lineup. [Read more 🡒]