The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve assigned right-hander Cody Morris outright to Triple-A. Morris was designated for assignment by the club last week to make room for right-hander Scott Effross on the 40-man roster. Morris does not have the ability to reject the outright assignment and will report for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Morris, 27, was acquired by the Yankees in a trade that sent outfielder Estevan Florial to the Guardians this past offseason. He was recalled to the big league roster briefly with the Yankees earlier this year but did not make an appearance before being optioned and has yet to make his big league debut for the club. That’s not to say Morris is without any big league experience, however, as he pitched for the Guardians in Cleveland in each of the past two seasons. The 2022 campaign saw Morris act as a spot starter for the Guardians, and he did well in the role, posting a strong 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings of work despite an elevated 12% walk rate.
The righty’s issues with control came back to bite him in 2023, however, as he walked a whopping 15.8% of batters faced in the majors that year and surrendered a 6.75 ERA in six relief appearances totaling eight innings of work. Morris’s issues last year extended to the minor leagues as well. While Morris’s 3.73 ERA in 33 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A last year looks perfectly serviceable, he allowed five homers in that time while walking 17.4% of batters faced. That left him with a 5.53 FIP and 5.09 xFIP in the minors last year.
Since being acquired by the Yankees, Morris has generally performed similarly with the club at Triple-A. While his 25.8% strikeout rate in 36 innings of work this year is certainly impressive, it’s outweighed by a hefty 16% walk rate that has left him with a 4.25 ERA and 4.58 FIP even as he’s substantially tamped down his proclivity for allowing home runs. Now that he’s off the Yankees’ 40-man roster, he figures to remain in the organization for the remainder of the year as a non-roster depth option for the club’s bullpen. Even in that regard, however, Morris is likely buried on the club’s depth chart by non-roster veterans like Tim Mayza, Chasen Shreve, and Art Warren.
