Yankees’ latest roster moves, new MLB signing

On Thursday, the New York Yankees announced a few changes to their roster before the game tonight.

• The Yankees have added right-handed pitcher Ryan Weber to the Major League team by signing him to a contract and selecting him to the active roster.
• Before tonight’s game, the Yankees brought back catcher Ben Rortvedt from his injury rehab assignment, activated him from the 10-day injured list, and then sent him down to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he was reinstated.
• The Yankees moved RHP Jonathan Loaisiga to the 60-day injured list.

Who is Ryan Weber?

The Yankees have added Ryan Weber to their active roster by signing him to a Major League contract, according to an announcement from the team. Weber, who previously played for the Boston Red Sox, had a short stint with the Yankees last season where he recorded an impressive 0.84 ERA in five games. However, he has not performed well in the current season and struggled while playing for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

After signing a minor league deal with the New York Yankees, Ryan Weber played for their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for the start of the season. During that time, the 32-year-old player, who has played for multiple teams in his career, struggled and recorded a 5.77 ERA, with 26 strikeouts and six walks in 34 1/3 innings across seven starts. He also had a batting average of .300.

Despite his poor performance at the start of this season, Weber had a strong finish to his 2022 season with the Yankees, posting an 0.84 ERA and limiting batters to a .167 average in 10 2/3 innings. Before joining the Yankees, Weber spent time with the Red Sox from 2019 to 2021, where he had a modest 5.54 ERA in 36 games (eight starts and 28 relief appearances) across three seasons.

How will he help the Yankees?

Apart from Weber’s brief impressive performance last season, his only notable skills have been his versatility and ability to pitch with good command. Weber has a tendency to limit walks, but he has a career batting average of .276 at the major league level and has never advanced beyond the role of a relief pitcher who is brought in to finish a game that is already out of reach.

Weber will be taking Deivi Garcia’s spot in the bullpen for the first game of an important series against the Rays, as García is unavailable.

“The last two days we were kind of able to finally reset a little bit,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Deivi giving us some length yesterday was big. Weissert gave us a little bit the day before and Weber is fully built up as a starter, so, he gives us that.”

Boone’s bullpen has been able to rest thanks to the contributions of their Triple-A pitchers and the team’s three decisive wins over Oakland. This could be beneficial for the Yankees as they head into a four-game series with the Rays, which is likely to feature several closely contested games that may be decided by the performance of the bullpen.

The Yankees‘ bullpen has been crucial to their success this season, boasting the best bullpen ERA in the MLB at 2.68. Despite struggling in Triple-A this season with a 5.77 ERA over seven starts, Ryan Weber had an impressive stint with the Yankees last year, recording a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings pitched over five outings. As such, Weber’s previous success with the team has earned him a spot in the bullpen for the upcoming series against the Rays.

Despite not having a high-velocity fastball and a flashy pitching style, Weber’s ability to pitch effectively impressed Boone.

“He’s obviously not overpowering, but has a really good feel to pitch,” Boone explained. “He’s got that slot, sinks the ball, and can spin it, change speed on it. It’s kind of fun watching him, you don’t see a lot of guys like him anymore. And he’s just got a really nice feel to pitch. He’s a guy we feel comfortable with, knowing if we get in a rough situation, we know he can go out there and compete his way and figure his way out through an outing.”

Ben Rortvedt

On Thursday, Ben Rortvedt was activated from the 10-day injured list due to his shoulder injury, but he was sent to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after being reinstated.

After undergoing left shoulder surgery in February, Rortvedt was put on the 10-day injured list in March and has been rehabilitating since then. He hasn’t played any games for the Yankees since they acquired him in a trade with the Twins in March 2022. Although he has completed five rehab games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has scored a run and an RBI while hitting 3-for-17 with a double, he will remain with the team for the time being.

Jonathan Loaisiga

On Thursday, the Yankees added Ryan Weber to the major league roster after transferring right-handed pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga to the 60-day injured list.

Loaisiga, who is 28 years old, was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 8th (with the IL stay being retroactive to April 6th) due to inflammation in his right elbow that needed surgery.

Loaisiga has made three appearances out of the bullpen for the Yankees this season, pitching a total of 3 and 1/3 innings with an ERA of 2.70. He has been with the team since 2018 and has a record of 18 wins and 9 losses with an ERA of 3.53 and seven saves in 146 games. He has started 11 of those games.

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