AL East Squad Lands Former Dodgers Reliever

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 26, 2024

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

For the second time this season, the New York Yankees have signed former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford to a major league contract.

Bickford struggled in his first stint with the Yankees, posting a 14.40 earned run average over five appearances in late June, which led to his designation for assignment. However, he rebounded after being demoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he recorded a 3.00 ERA and five saves across 34 outings.

Bickford was with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during their road series against St. Paul, making his last appearance on Aug. 21. He then flew to join the Yankees on Sunday, as they wrapped a three-game series against the Rockies at Yankee Stadium. He is with the team for its series against the Nationals.

Prior to today’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
•Signed RHP Phil Bickford (#53) to a Major League contract and selected him to the active roster.
•Designated RHP Michael Tonkin for assignment.

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) August 25, 2024

“He’s been doing a nice job,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Bickford. “He’s got some length to him and can probably give us a couple of innings if needed. There were a number of people in the conversation for that spot, but right now, he seemed like the right guy to take.”

Bickford originally signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in April. After being called up to the big league roster in late June and struggling, he chose free agency over an outright assignment to Triple-A when he cleared waivers in July.

Now, after nearly eight weeks as a free agent, Bickford is set to return to the Bronx. Although his recent MLB performance has been shaky, his success in Triple-A this season gave the Yankees enough confidence to offer him a guaranteed deal.

Since Bickford is out of minor league options, the Yankees would have to designate him for assignment again if they wanted to send him back down.

Bickford has pitched in parts of five major league seasons, with his best performance coming in 2021 when he posted a 2.81 ERA over 51.1 relief innings for the Brewers and Dodgers. He was traded to the Mets last season before joining the Yankees.

In a corresponding move, the Yankees designated Michael Tonkin for assignment, a surprising decision given his recent consistency.

“Tough one today,” Boone said. “Tonk’s been great. He pitched well for us and has been a great teammate. So it was a difficult decision.”

Tonkin went 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 39 appearances after being claimed off waivers from the New York Mets on April 26. He was impressive early on, posting a 1.84 ERA in his first 22 appearances with the Yankees, but his performance dipped, resulting in a 5.74 ERA over his last 17 outings.