NEW YORK — The Yankees have spent August adding experienced players around the edges of their roster without surrendering prospects or creating immediate 40-man headaches.
Their latest move follows the same pattern, but this one comes with a more interesting recent résumé.
The Yankees have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Eli Morgan, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The 30-year-old became a free agent only five days earlier after the Kansas City Royals designated him for assignment, outrighted him to Triple-A Omaha and watched him elect free agency. MLB’s transaction log confirms Morgan became available Aug. 16.
The deal does not guarantee Morgan a spot in Aaron Boone’s bullpen. It gives the Yankees another experienced arm to evaluate at Triple-A while preserving the option of a late-season promotion.
What makes Morgan more intriguing than the typical August minor league addition is how recently he looked like an October-caliber reliever.
Yankees are betting the 2024 version can be recovered
Morgan’s 2026 numbers with Kansas City explain why he was available.
He went 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA and one save across 16 relief appearances. Morgan allowed 24 hits and nine walks in 19 1/3 innings while striking out 16, producing a 1.71 WHIP.
Those numbers look nothing like his final season in Cleveland.
Morgan posted a career-best 1.93 ERA in 32 appearances for the Guardians in 2024, allowing only nine earned runs across 42 innings. Opponents hit .188 against his changeup and .176 against his four-seam fastball.
Cleveland trusted him enough to carry Morgan on its postseason roster. He was part of a bullpen that helped the Guardians reach the ALCS against the Yankees. MLB noted at the time that Morgan’s 28.1% hard-hit rate was the lowest among Cleveland relievers with at least 100 batted-ball events.
Chicago acquired him from Cleveland that November for prospect Alfonsin Rosario. At the time, Morgan had produced a 3.97 ERA across four seasons with the Guardians.
That is the pitcher the Yankees are effectively trying to uncover again.
Morgan’s 2026 pitch data shows where things went wrong
The most revealing numbers are underneath Morgan’s ERA.
His entire arsenal did not collapse this season.
His fastball did.
According to Statcast, opponents hit .379 and slugged .621 against Morgan’s four-seamer in 2026. The pitch carried a minus-4 run value, and hitters produced a 51.9% hard-hit rate against it.
His secondary pitches tell a different story.
Hitters batted only .207 against Morgan’s changeup. The pitch generated positive run value and allowed a 20.8% hard-hit rate. His slider was hit harder when contact occurred, but it generated a 38.3% whiff rate and a 36% strikeout rate in plate appearances ending on the pitch.
That creates a fairly obvious Yankees development project.
New York does not necessarily need to rebuild three pitches. The organization can investigate whether changing Morgan’s fastball usage, location or shape can prevent hitters from sitting on the pitch that caused most of his damage.
A PinstripesNation calculation from Statcast’s pitch totals shows Morgan threw his fastball on 37.2% of his pitches this season, the changeup 33% and slider 29.8%. Nearly two-thirds of his arsenal therefore consisted of the two secondary pitches that produced either softer contact or substantial swing-and-miss.
That may explain why the Yankees see enough remaining underneath the 5.12 ERA to take another look.
Elbow history adds another variable
Morgan’s path since his dominant 2024 season has not been smooth.
He made only seven appearances for the Cubs in 2025 and allowed 10 runs in 7 1/3 innings. Chicago placed him on the injured list April 15 with a right elbow impingement, later transferring him to the 60-day IL. He returned in September but did not pitch in another major league game.
The Cubs non-tendered him after the season.
Kansas City signed Morgan to a minor league deal in January and repeatedly moved him between Triple-A and the majors during 2026. He made his final Royals appearance July 18 before being optioned six days later.
The Royals finally designated Morgan for assignment Aug. 13 when they needed a 40-man roster spot for veteran starter Tony Gonsolin. Morgan cleared waivers, was outrighted and elected free agency.
The Yankees moved quickly once that happened.
Yankees add another bullpen lottery ticket for September
Morgan gives New York experience without forcing an immediate roster decision.
He has appeared in 184 major league games, including 19 starts, with an 18-14 record, 4.25 ERA and 282 strikeouts in 292 innings. His minor league career ERA is 3.04.
Most of his value now comes as a reliever.
That fits a Yankees organization that has continued stockpiling pitching depth. New York signed right-hander Justin Topa to a minor league deal Aug. 14, while Kervin Castro remains on the injured list with right elbow neuritis.
The major league bullpen does not present an obvious opening. Brent Headrick entered this week with a 1.47 ERA in 62 appearances, while Fernando Cruz had a 2.81 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings.
Morgan therefore arrives as insurance rather than a rescue operation.
But the timing gives the Yankees several weeks to determine whether his 2026 ERA represents permanent decline or a correctable pitch problem.
Two seasons ago, Morgan was carrying a 1.93 ERA into October for one of baseball’s best bullpens.
Five days ago, he was a free agent.
Now the Yankees get their chance to find out which version is still there.
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