Yerry

de los Santos

De los Santos is back in the majors just two days after being demoted. He has a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings out of the Yankees pen this season.

The Yankees desperately needed to add a fresh arm to their bullpen after Saturday’s debacle against the Dodgers and De Los Santos was an easy call after working in back-to-back games since he wasn’t going to be available on Sunday evening. The 27-year-old hurler has done a decent job for the Yankees this season, registering a 3.00 ERA, a troublesome 1.92 WHIP and a 9/6 K/BB ratio over 12 innings in his first 10 appearances.

It’s the first official recall for De Los Santos this season, though he did pitch two scoreless innings as the 27th man in a doubleheader last month. The former Pirate had a 1.74 ERA in 10 1/3 innings as a reliever in Triple-A.

De Los Santos provides the Yankees with some extra bullpen depth for Sunday’s twin bill against the division-rival Blue Jays. He’ll head back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the conclusion of the nightcap affair.

De Los Santos winds up being the final cut from Yankees camp prior to Thursday’s season opener against the Brewers. The 27-year-old righty figures to be back with the big-league club when they need to bring up a fresh bullpen arm.

The move protects De Los Santos from being plucked in the Rule 5 draft. De Los Santos spent the entire 2024 season at the Triple-A level where he compiled a 4.12 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 55/19 K/BB ratio over 59 innings of work in 51 appearances out of the bullpen. He’ll continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Yankees heading into the 2025 campaign.

Cease and a trio of relievers -- Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Yerry De Los Santos -- limited Chicago’s lineup to just three hits combined in a one-sided affair. The 28-year-old righty was nearly flawless, allowing just four baserunners over six frames to open the contest, with a fourth-inning homer by Michael Busch accounting for the only damage against him. He finished with seven strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks. He’ll bring a sparkling 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 20/6 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings (three starts) into a tough road tilt on Tuesday against the Brewers.

The 26-year-old righty appeared in five Spring Training games for the Yankees and posted a 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP with a 5/4 K/BB ratio. De Los Santos signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in the offseason but couldn’t quite make the Opening Day roster. Last season, De Los Santos appeared in 22 games for the Pirates and had a 3.33 ERA with a 18/13 K/BB ratio across 24 1/3 innings.

The 25-year-old right-hander was removed from the Pirates’ 40-man roster in early November, then refused his outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis to explore the free agent market. He actually did a nice job for the Pirates at the big league level in 2023 — posting a 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and an 18/13 K/BB ratio over 24 1/3 innings in 22 appearances. With a strong showing in Grapefruit League play, he could push for a spot in the Yankees’ Opening Day bullpen.

De Los Santos will remain with the Pirates, if he winds up going unclaimed on waivers, but has been removed from Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster heading into the offseason. The 25-year-old righty made 22 relief appearances last season in the big leagues, finishing with a respectable 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 18/13 K/BB ratio across 24 1/3 innings of work.