The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve designated right-hander Dennis Santana for assignment. Right-hander Ron Marinaccio was recalled to the majors in a corresponding move.
Santana, 28, signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal over the offseason and quickly broke onto the club’s roster when right-hander Jonathan Loasigia suffered a flexor strain that sent him to the 60-day IL just days into the regular season. The right-hander generally pitched well into early May, with a 3.24 ERA and an even stronger 2.78 FIP despite a lackluster 18.6% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, the wheels came off for Santana from there. Over his last nine outings, the right-hander has been torched to the tune of a 10.97 ERA with a 5.67 FIP. He’s struck out 14% of batters faced, walked 8%, and hit a batter in his last 10 2/3 innings of work.
That brutal stretch ballooned Santana’s ERA to 6.26 on the season, and that left the Yankees to pull the plug on his time in their bullpen. Now, the club will have seven days to either trade Santana or attempt to pass him through waivers, although he’s been outrighted previously in his career and would have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency even if he were to clear waivers.
What stands out about Santana’s time in the Bronx is how different his peripherals have looked compared to his previous struggles at the big league level. Ever since the right-hander made his big league debut with the Dodgers back in 2018, Santana has struggled with his control despite generally solid strikeout numbers. From 2020 to 2023, Santana pitched to a 4.91 ERA and 4.20 FIP that aren’t entirely dissimilar to the results he got with the Yankees this year, but his strikeout rate of 21.1% and walk rate of 12% were both much higher than the 16.5% and 8.7% figures he posted in the Bronx. If Santana is able to find a way to recoup those lost strikeouts while maintaining his more manageable walk rate from this season, it’s conceivable the 28-year-old could become a valuable relief arm for an interested club.
In the meantime, the Yankees will replace Santana with Marinaccio in their bullpen mix. The righty, 29 on July 1, has enjoyed strong results since he made his big league debut with the club back in 2022. In 104 innings of work, he’s posted a 2.86 ERA despite a more pedestrian FIP of 3.98. That elevated FIP stems from command issues; Marinaccio has struck out an excellent 28.2% of the batters he’s faced in his career, but his 10.9% walk rate in 12 2/3 innings of work this year is currently the lowest of his career. In spite of those shaky peripherals, it’s nonetheless an impressive body of work for the righty, who came from humble beginnings as a 19th-round pick in the 2017 draft. Marinaccio figures to resume his role in the middle of the Yankees bullpen going forward alongside Victor Gonzalez and Michael Tonkin.
Finally!!
Eight earned runs in three of his last four appearances will result in being cut! Marinaccio is a better reliever. Not sure why they waited this long.
Playing against the Dodgers will do that.
Marinaccio had no business being demoted when Burdi was coming off the DL. The kid had like a 1.46 era yet they kept Santana and other bums over Marinaccio which was insane!
It is puzzling that they sent Marinaccio down.
Good riddance, what a hack! Ahahaha!
To quote Clint Howard in “Parenthood,” …….
“He ha(d)no business being out there.”
I’m shocked! After listening to John Smoltz last night, I assumed he was having a breakout season.
“Breakout season”…John Smoltz likes nothing better than to hear himself talk and renegotiated his contract to pay him by the word.
Hit the bricks
Finally!
Guy just needs to drop the Slider. Hitters are 10 for 25 on it, four doubles and a homerun to boot.
Santana doesn’t belong on a great teams roster. He’s still a decent RP go back to the Mets. Welcome back Ronnie. Next to go is Mr Tonkin if Effros or someone else ever comes back.
Now if they would bring up an outfielder with a pulse until Soto recovers.
Yeah I don’t know how he keeps getting chances. Yankees were smart to cut bait with him early. Meanwhile, guys like Fujinami are stuck in the minors / “phantom IL”. Fujinami would be a top 10 reliever in the game right now if he was up
You must be Fujinami’s agent, or his interpreter’s bookie who waiting to be paid ( that’s a joke).
Funinami has done ZERO to warrant a big league look this year by even the lowly Mets, never mind the White Sox or Angels or Rockies.
17 walks, 2 hits batsmen, 4 wild pitches, 7 hits in 7 2/3 innings at AAA . Only 43 percent of his pitches are strikes. Forty-three percent! Far far from Big League numbers.
A WHIP of 3.13. An ERA of 14.03.
Ok, so he is hurt. That could explain it.
If he’s on the IL, maybe he just needs a pair of eyeglasses so he can see home plate.
He’s got a great mlb contract paying him 3x the major league minimum for someone who isn’t performing at AAA.
So again, I cannot understand your argument that he would be a top 10 reliever, unless he owed you some money.
Nothing personal but, good. Guys hanging on the margins of the roster can’t forget to cover 1st. Getting lit up regularly also doesn’t help.
It’s a telling sign when you get relieved by Oswaldo Cabrera for the final out.
Santana was giving me flashbacks of 2004-2005 Scott Proctor.
I didn’t like it.
He was used a lot.
Oh he indeed was. Looking back 80 plus games for a relief pitcher in the 2000s was a bit excessive. To his credit he had a few good years. I knew when they brought him back in 2011 he was cooked though.
Maybe if he spent less time on his tattoos and more time on his mechanics…