Yankees Claim Joe Mantiply From Tigers, Designate Branden Pinder
The Yankees have claimed left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply off waivers from the Tigers, the teams announced today. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated right-hander Branden Pinder for assignment, per the club’s announcement.
Mantiply, 25, made his Major League debut for the Tigers this past season, though he logged just 2 2/3 innings and surrendered five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in that time. His minor league work, though, was outstanding, as he pitched to a 2.73 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in 59 1/3 innings between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Though Mantiply works with limited fastball velocity, at best (he averaged 87.5 mph on his fastball in his brief September call-up), he’s posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each season of his pro career since being drafted in the 27th round by Detroit back in 2013. In 239 1/3 minor league innings he sports a 2.44 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9.
Pinder, meanwhile, pitched just six innings between the Majors and minors this season before going down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 27-year-old has a 3.45 ERA in 28 2/3 big league innings between the 2015 and 2016 seasons and has shown well throughout his minor league career, logging a 2.88 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
Tigers Designate Donn Roach, Add Joe Mantiply To Roster
The Tigers have announced that they’ve designated righty Donn Roach for assignment. The move clears space on the team’s roster for lefty Joe Mantiply, whose contract the team has selected from Double-A Erie.
The Tigers claimed Roach from the Mariners last month, and he made five starts for Triple-A Toledo. Between Toledo and the Mariners’ affiliate in Tacoma, Roach has posted a 3.86 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 over 137 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season. The 26-year-old has appeared in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons, including in 5 1/3 innings in the Mariners’ bullpen this season.
The 25-year-old Mantiply was a 27th-round draft pick in 2013, but he made quick work of the lower levels of the Tigers’ system and has fared well in the high minors this season, with a 2.73 ERA, 10.5 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 59 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. He likely would have been a potential Rule 5 Draft selection this winter, but his addition to the Tigers’ 40-man roster protects the team from that possibility. He’ll join Justin Wilson, Kyle Ryan and Blaine Hardy as lefties in the Tigers’ bullpen.