Yankees clear long-stalled roster logjam, claim four-time DFA’d pitcher

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees made a pair of roster moves on Thursday that addressed two problems at once. They picked up a pitcher with real MLB experience and finally moved on from an infielder who had been stuck in organizational limbo for nearly a year.

The club claimed right-hander Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. In a corresponding move, they designated infielder Braden Shewmake for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

For a team heading into spring training with questions about pitching depth, the swap makes sense. But the story behind both players tells a bigger tale about how MLB clubs juggle their rosters during the offseason.

A roster spot that needed clearing

Shewmake had been on the Yankees’ 40-man roster since February 2025, when they claimed him off waivers from the Kansas City Royals. The left-handed-hitting infielder spent the entire 2025 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre without getting a single call to the Bronx.

In 85 games with the RailRiders, the former first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves batted just .228/.317/.364 with four home runs. His glove has always earned praise. His bat, though, has not kept pace at the MLB level. In 71 career big league plate appearances across stints with the Braves, White Sox and Royals, Shewmake owns a meager .118/.127/.191 slash line.

At 28, with no minor league options remaining, Shewmake was stuck. He could not be sent down without passing through waivers. That meant the Yankees were essentially burning a 40-man spot on a player who had no realistic path to their big league roster. For months, the situation sat unresolved.

Now, with the Bido claim forcing their hand, the Yankees finally pulled the trigger. Shewmake enters the waiver process, where his defensive reputation could attract interest from another MLB club. If he clears, the Yankees could outright him to the minors as non-roster depth.

Bido brings big league innings but a bumpy track record

Osvaldo Bido is not a household name, but he has been one of the busiest players on the MLB waiver wire this winter. The Yankees are his fifth stop since the end of the 2025 season.

Here is how his offseason has gone. Bido finished 2025 with the Athletics. He was then claimed by the Braves, then the Rays, then the Marlins, then the Angels. Each club grabbed him off waivers, only to designate him for assignment a short time later. The Angels were the most recent. They DFA’d Bido last week after acquiring left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from the Yankees and needing room on their own 40-man roster.

That trade connection is worth noting. The Yankees sent Sandridge to the Angels, which triggered the chain of events that made Bido available.

What Bido showed in Oakland

The 30-year-old from Los Hidalgos in the Dominican Republic signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in 2017. He worked his way through their farm system and made his MLB debut in 2023, posting a 5.86 ERA in 50 2/3 innings across 16 appearances for Pittsburgh.

He signed with the Athletics as a free agent before the 2024 season and found much better footing. In a swing role that year, Bido gave Oakland 63 1/3 innings with a solid 3.41 ERA and a 1.089 WHIP. He struck out 24.3 percent of batters he faced and allowed just three home runs all season.

That version of Bido is the pitcher the Yankees are betting on. The problem is that the 2025 version was a different story.

After the Athletics relocated to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for the 2025 season, Bido struggled. The minor league ballpark played as a hitter-friendly environment, and the right-hander paid the price. In 79 1/3 innings across 26 appearances, including 10 starts, he posted a 5.87 ERA and gave up 19 home runs. That was a dramatic spike from the three he surrendered the year before.

He logged 68 strikeouts in those innings but walked batters at a 10 percent clip. Oakland optioned him to the minors multiple times during the year before he eventually hit the waiver wire after the season ended.

Why the Yankees made this move now

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Tampa on Feb. 11, the timing matters. The Yankees needed to sort out their 40-man roster before camp opens. Adding Bido gives them another arm to evaluate during spring training.

The Yankees already project to have Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough as long relievers in their bullpen. Ryan Weathers, acquired from the Marlins in January, is expected to help bridge the rotation while Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole continue their injury rehabs. Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest and Angel Chivilli will also compete for bullpen spots.

In that context, Bido is more of a depth piece than a guaranteed roster spot. He does not have minor league options, which complicates things. The Yankees cannot send him to the minors without putting him through waivers again.

That could mean a short stay in the Bronx. As MLB Trade Rumors noted, the 60-day injured list opens next week, which will create additional roster flexibility across the league. The Yankees could put Bido on waivers quickly if they decide he does not fit.

The bigger picture for the Yankees’ 40-man roster

This move is less about Bido the pitcher and more about the Yankees finally clearing a roster bottleneck. Shewmake had been dead weight on the 40-man for months, and the front office needed a reason to move him. Claiming Bido provided that reason.

The Yankees also announced 27 non-roster invitees to spring training on Thursday. That group includes top pitching prospect Ben Hess, flame-throwing right-hander Carlos Lagrange and outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez. Bido, as a 40-man roster player, will join the big league camp automatically.

For a club that tied for the American League lead with 94 wins in 2025 but fell short of a second straight pennant, the margins matter. Every roster spot counts. The Yankees needed to stop letting one collect dust.

Bido may not be the answer to anything in the Bronx. But by claiming him, the Yankees solved a problem that had been sitting in plain sight all winter. Shewmake is gone. A new arm is in camp. And the 40-man roster is one step closer to being ready for the season ahead.

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