Inside The Pinstripes

Mets Claim Stephen Ridings Off Waivers From Yankees

Ridings was a fan favorite during a brief tenure with the Yankees in 2021, but never pitched in pinstripes again, sidelined due to injuries.

Max Goodman

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Yankees reliever Stephen Ridings, who missed all of the 2022 season with a right shoulder injury, was claimed by the Mets off waivers on Tuesday. 

Ridings, 27, flashed potential and a fiery fastball during his first cup of coffee with the big-league club, posting a 1.80 ERA over five outings in August of 2021. He struck out seven of the 20 batters he faced in that stretch, blowing hitters away with his triple-digit heater. 

After those five outings, Ridings returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, ending the season on the injured list. He never pitched in pinstripes again. 

Attending his first big-league spring training, Ridings was shut down, placed on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder impingement syndrome. The right-hander told Sports Illustrated's Inside The Pinstripes in March that he slipped a disk while lifting during the lockout, shoulder complications that kept him from competing for a roster spot at camp. Pitching coach Matt Blake later told NJ Advance Media that Ridings nearly needed thoracic outlet surgery. Blake went on to characterize Ridings' injury woes as a "host of shoulder stuff" in another conversation with Inside The Pinstripes in August. 

Ridings started throwing late in the season this summer, twirling two innings on a rehab assignment in September. As much as Ridings was making progress, the 6-foot-8 hurler eventually ran out of time. 

"Super thankful for my, albeit short, time with the Yankees and the fans. On to new opportunities," Ridings wrote in a post to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

The move for the Yankees opens a spot on their 40-man roster. Subtracting Ridings, New York currently has 36 players on their 40-man. Earlier this offseason, 11 different Yankees—including Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo—entered free agency.

Meanwhile, the Mets are getting a reliever with a big arm and plenty of upside. Injuries might've contributed to the Yankees letting Ridings go. Maybe they didn't think he would be able to bounce back from a lost season or they didn't view him as a reliever capable of making an impact in New York's bullpen going forward. 

Either way, this decision allows New York to open a roster spot and protect an additional prospect that's eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The deadline to keep those prospects out of the Rule 5 draft pool is Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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