Former Yankees Reliever Hoping For MLB Return With Angels

Jonathan Holder pitched in 157 games for the Yankees between 2016 and 2020. He hasn’t appeared in a big league game since.

The Angels made a small move Tuesday, signing Jonathan Holder to a minor league deal.

If the relief pitcher’s name sounds familiar to Yankees fans, that’s because Holder spent five seasons in New York’s bullpen from 2016-2020. However, the right-hander has not pitched in a major league game since donning pinstripes.

Holder, who was drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round in 2014, appeared in 157 games for the club, totaling a 4.38 ERA over 176.2 innings. He was a dependable member of New York’s pen from 2017-2018, a stretch that saw him register a 3.42 ERA and 8.5 K/9 over 105.1 innings.

Holder’s 3.14 ERA in 2018 would have been even lower had he not allowed seven earned runs without inducing an out against the Red Sox on Aug. 2. Only one other Yankees pitcher, Bob Kammeyer in 1979, ever recorded such a stat line.

Holder’s 2019 and 2020 seasons did not go well (5.86 ERA over 63 innings), and he signed a one-year deal with the Cubs prior to the 2021 campaign. However, Holder battled a shoulder issue that limited him to just two innings in the minor leagues that year.

Holder re-signed with Chicago for the 2022 season but didn’t see game action until late July. He ended up with an 8.57 ERA over 16 games, all in the minors.

It’s unclear if Holder’s deal with the Angels includes an invite to major league spring training. The organization assigned him to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. 

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