Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Bring Veteran Reliever Back on Minor League Deal

In search of bullpen depth in the minor leagues, the Yankees have re-signed Chasen Shreve.

Max Goodman

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OAKLAND — While two pitchers made their Yankees debuts on Sunday in Oakland, New York brought a familiar face back to the organization he once called home for four seasons.

The Yankees signed left-hander Chasen Shreve to a minor league contract, according to the team's transaction page. 

Shreve, 32, is in his ninth big-league season. Earlier this year, the southpaw pitched for the Mets, posting a 6.49 ERA in 25 games. The reliever has spent the majority of his MLB career in a Yankees uniform, pitching to the tune of a 3.92 ERA across 180 appearances (174.2 innings from 2015 to 2018). He was particularly effective as a rookie in 2015, posting a 3.09 ERA in 59 outings out of the Yankees' bullpen and setting a career-high with 58.1 innings pitched and 64 strikeouts.

After those three-plus seasons with New York, Shreve was dealt to St. Louis, included in the Luke Voit trade along with right-hander Giovanny Gallegos. He stuck around with the Cardinals through the following season, pitching for the Mets and Pirates since then.

For a team that's been plagued with injuries in their pitching staff, especially the bullpen, it never hurts to bolster depth with experienced arms. That's the case with Anthony Banda and Luke Bard, who both pitched for the Yankees for the first time on Sunday in a loss against the Athletics. 

New York has already summoned the likes of Shane Greene and Manny Bañuelos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year—in an effort to eat up some innings—so don't be entirely surprised if Shreve is used down the road. 

Closer Clay Holmes is expected to come of the injured list on Monday, before New York begins a three-game set in Anaheim against the Angels, but a slew of reliever are still on the IL. That list includes Aroldis Chapman (tattoo infection), Scott Effross (shoulder), Albert Abreu (elbow inflammation) and more. Plus, Chad Green and Michael King are both out for the rest of the year with season-ending elbow injuries.

Shreve was released by the Mets on July 8, a few days after he was designated for assignment, so he hasn't pitched in a game in a few months. After ramping up in the minor leagues, he'll have an opportunity to pitch his way to a big-league opportunity, standing by in case New York faces even more adversity in the final month of the regular season. 

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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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