The Yankees made a roster move on Monday, designating right-hander Dom Hamel for assignment to make room for newly claimed outfielder Yanquiel Fernández. It’s the latest stop on what’s been a whirlwind tour of the waiver wire for Hamel, who’s become something of a frequent flyer when it comes to DFA transactions.
Hamel, who turns 27 in March, made his big league debut with the Mets last September, tossing a clean inning on the 17th. Since then, he’s been on a rapid-fire journey across the league.
After that lone appearance, he was claimed by the Orioles, then the Rangers-all before the calendar flipped to October. Texas held onto him for a few months before designating him for assignment in January.
The Yankees scooped him up, but just over a week later, he's back in DFA limbo.
So why the repeated shuffle? It comes down to potential.
While Hamel’s major league experience is limited to that one inning, teams are clearly intrigued by what he’s shown in the minors. Originally developed as a starter in the Mets’ system, Hamel’s shaky command nudged him into more of a bullpen role in 2025.
He logged 67 2/3 innings across 31 outings at Triple-A last year. Technically, 11 of those were starts, but he was primarily used as an opener or in short stints.
His pitch mix is fairly deep for a reliever. He features a four-seamer and sinker that both sit in the low 90s, and supplements those with a cutter, slider, and changeup.
The results were a mixed bag: a 5.32 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, but look a little closer and there’s reason for optimism. His walk rate was a manageable 7.4%, and he struck out over a quarter of the batters he faced-25.2%, to be exact.
That kind of swing-and-miss potential, paired with improved control, is why teams keep taking a flyer on him.
The challenge is roster space. Most teams are jammed up with full 40-man rosters right now, and Hamel doesn’t have the service time or prior outrights to reject a minor league assignment if he clears waivers. That’s why he’s become a candidate for teams looking to sneak him through waivers and stash him as depth without burning a roster spot.
The Yankees could wait up to five days to place him on waivers again, but with the 60-day injured list set to open next week, expect some movement sooner rather than later. That IL window gives clubs a little more breathing room to maneuver on the fringes of the roster.
For now, Hamel remains in DFA limbo-still searching for a stable landing spot, but clearly not short on believers in his upside.