Yankees Quietly Sent A Message About A Pitcher They Just Called Up

The Yankees reassign Alexander Cornielle, who remains a promising prospect in their minor league system despite his recent MLB debut struggles.

The Yankees have outrighted right-hander Alexander Cornielle to their Florida Complex League affiliate, the club announced. Cornielle had been designated for assignment on Tuesday when Giancarlo Stanton was activated from the 60-day IL, and he cleared waivers before staying in the organization.

Because this was his first outright, Cornielle had to accept the assignment. That sends him back to the minors after a brief major league stay that included his debut last week against the Orioles. He worked the final inning of New York’s win in the second game of a doubleheader, giving up two earned runs on three hits while recording his first two MLB strikeouts.

Cornielle’s path to the Yankees came after he left the Brewers organization. The 25-year-old missed the first two months of the minor league season with an injury, then returned in late May and moved quickly. By mid-June, he had reached Triple-A, and most of his season was spent with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he put together a 3.10 ERA over 72 2/3 innings.

The Yankees mostly used Cornielle as a starter in the minors, with 20 starts in 21 outings this season. He had been deployed the same way for much of his time with Milwaukee, too.

New York didn’t ask him to go deep in his lone big-league appearance, but his pitch mix suggests more than a one-inning look. Cornielle throws three fastballs - a four-seamer, sinker and cutter - along with a sweeper, and he used all four offerings against Baltimore.

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