ARLINGTON, Texas – The Yankees are adding some experience to their roster.
On Monday, they announced a minor league contract with Kenta Maeda, placing him in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as an option in case one of their current starters faces an injury.
Maeda, now 37, has spent almost a decade in the majors, beginning his career with the Tigers before he was reassigned on May 1. After that, he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs, where he posted a 5.97 ERA over 12 starts, but managed a more respectable 3.55 ERA in his last nine outings before deciding to opt out of that agreement over the weekend.
The Yankees’ starting depth is quite limited beyond their current rotation.
To accommodate Lewis Gill’s return from the injured list, they opted to release Marcus Stromann last Friday instead of sending Cam Schlitler down to Triple-A.
The team also recently traded Carlos Carrasco, who had struggled after starting the season in the rotation, to the Braves.
Currently, the next option for the Yankees is Alan Winans, but he only got a chance to pitch in three games earlier this season.
They’re also hoping to see swingman Ryan Yarbrough back from his oblique strain sometime soon; although, as it stands, he’s still in the bullpen phase and is likely a few weeks away from returning.
“Depth is definitely a challenge for us,” said manager Aaron Boone on Friday. “I feel confident in the five guys we have out there, but the depth is a concern right now. Yarbrough is making progress and getting back on the mound, so I’m trying to extend his recovery a bit to give us a more reliable option.”
