Yankees Claim Reliever From Rays, Bolster Bullpen Depth After Deadline
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The Yankees claimed right-hander Luke Bard off waivers from the Rays on Friday, assigning the reliever to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
New York made the move official with an announcement on Friday afternoon, a few hours before opening a series against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Bard, 31, has pitched well this season, posting a 1.93 ERA with eight strikeouts and seven walks across 14 innings in a Rays uniform. He was designated for assignment by the Rays before the trade deadline this week, a casualty of a roster crunch. That's when New York swooped in.
The former first-round pick is in his fourth big-league season. He was pitching in a versatile role out of Tampa Bay's bullpen, often throwing multiple innings at a time.
In Triple-A Durham, Bard posted a 4.88 ERA across 24 innings in 2022. He'll join a bullpen in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that includes big-league veterans like Richard Rodríguez, Shane Greene, Ryan Weber, Jimmy Cordero and more.
With Michael King (elbow fracture) and Chad Green (Tommy John) out for the season, and Zack Britton still working back from his elbow surgery, New York's bullpen has battled plenty of adversity this year. Miguel Castro is also on the injured list with a shoulder strain.
New York did add two new faces to their bullpen in the Bronx, trading for Oakland's Lou Trivino and Chicago's Scott Effross. You can never have enough pitching, though. This gives the organization one additional arm to choose from over the next few months if they ever need to promote a reliever to the big-leagues level.
Bard was also able to secure a spot on New York's 40-man roster after the Yankees sent righty Carlos Espinal outright to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Espinal had been a reserve option in the bullpen over the last few days, filling in as New York awaited the arrivals of Trivino, Effross and starter Frankie Montas.
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