Yankees Claim Sam Demel, DFA Danny Otero

The Yankees announced that they have claimed pitcher Sam Demel off of waivers from the Astros.  To make room for Demel on the 40-man roster, the club designated fellow right-hander Danny Otero for assignment.

Demel, 27, owns a career 4.95 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 72 big league relief appearances with the Diamondbacks from 2010-12.  He made just one relief outing last year and spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Reno, where he had a 4.07 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 56 appearances out of the bullpen.

Otero, 28, made 12 relief appearances for the Giants last season.  In parts of two seasons at Triple-A, Otero owns a 3.03 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9.