Former Pitcher Tried Boosting Yankees Playoff Spot

Once a New York Yankees, always a New York Yankee. Baltimore Orioles right-hander Roansy Contreras made his season debut Wednesday and he did his best to help his former team gain ground on the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card standings.

The Orioles promoted Contreras from Triple-A Norfolk and tapped him to be the first person out of the bullpen against the Red Sox. When he took the mound in the third inning, the game was tied, 1-1.

Contreras kept the Red Sox bats quiet, throwing four and one-third innings of shutout ball, striking out a pair of Boston batters. He threw 71 pitches before making way for Keegan Akin, who took the loss for Baltimore after giving up a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning.

Had Akin been able to close out the Red Sox, the Yankees would have replaced Boston as the wild-card leader, thanks to New York's 11-2 win over the Washington Nationals.

Instead, the Yankees remained a half-game behind Boston, who leapfrogged past New York in the standing after taking three of four games last weekend in the Bronx.

Aug 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) reacts to hitting a two run home run during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Contreras' big-league journey began in 2016 when he signed with the Yankees as an amateur free agent. He toiled in the minors before the Yankees traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in January 2021 as part of the Jameson Taillon deal.

The 25-year-old made his MLB debut later that year with the Pirates. Contreras' time in Pittsburgh ended in May 2024 when the club sold him to the Los Angeles Angels.

Since then, Contreras has been a regular on the waiver wire, bouncing from the Angels to the Texas Rangers to the Cincinnati Reds to the Orioles, back to the Yankees and then back to the Orioles.

Contreras has made 91 big-league appearances, including 33 starts during his five-year MLB career.He's 10-16 overall with a 4.63 ERA.

How much time he gets the rest of the season remains uncertain as the Orioles plan to go to a six-man starting rotation for the stretch run, interim manager Tony Mansolino announced, according to MLB.com' s Jake Rill.

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