New York Yankees Unheralded Pitcher Garnering Attention at Spring Training

An under-the-radar New York Yankees pitcher has been the talk of spring training early on.

Feb 15, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Yerry de los Santos (73) participates in spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With spring training underway, finding many weaknesses on the New York Yankees roster is hard.

Third base has been a topic of discussion, but the team seems comfortable with DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza handling things at the hot corner for now. There will be some discussions about a backup first baseman on the Opening Day roster and the backup catcher’s position is up for grabs, too.

Another spot where open competition could be held is in the bullpen.

The Yankees made a huge addition this winter when they acquired star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. 

He, along with Luke Weaver, Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton, Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill appear to be locks for the bullpen to start the season.

That means at least one or two spots could be up for grabs.

Jonathan Loaisaga may not potentially be ready until May or June. Jake Cousins and Clayton Beeter are battling injuries and are behind in preparation.

The door has been opened for other players to take advantage, and one pitcher doing exactly that is Yerry De Los Santos.

After spending nine years with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, he hit free agency and was quickly snatched up by New York.

The team had plans of using De Los Santos in the Major Leagues in 2024, but he struggled out of the gate.

At Triple-A, he registered a 5.79 ERA across his first 27 appearances. But with the help of minor league pitching coach Gerardo Casadiego, his production took off after he began honing in on his splitter.

“He added the split and then kind of fixed the split,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said, via Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “That kind of gave him a lefty weapon. And I actually think it gives him a righty weapon, too. It seems to be, like, an equalizer for him."

Over the final 24 appearances of 2024, De Los Santos registered an impressive 2.04 ERA. That level of dominance has carried over into the spring, as he is turning some heads and catching the attention of the right people, such as manager Aaron Boone.

“It’s good to see him looking like he did when he finished the season (at Triple A) last year,” Boone said.

The organization thought highly enough of him to sign him ahead of the 2024 campaign less than two weeks after he hit free agency. His potential they believed he possessed is showing through in camp.

If he can keep this up in Grapefruit League games, De Los Santos will assuredly be in the mix for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.