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Yankees Place Andrew Benintendi On IL, Designate Anthony Banda

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The Yankees announced a series of roster moves today, with outfielder Andrew Benintendi heading to the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. Outfielder Estevan Florial was recalled in a corresponding move. Additionally, right-hander Ryan Weber has been selected to the big league club, with lefty Anthony Banda designated for assignment.

Benintendi, 28, left last night’s game after appearing to injure himself on a swing. Last night’s X-rays came back negative, but it seems the ailment is enough that the Yanks will keep him out of action for another ten days at least, as they try to figure out what’s going on. “Just not sure, like, where we thought, may not be injured,” Boone says in the video shared by Marly Rivera of ESPN. “So, they got to get more CT scans. I just got briefed on it a little bit so I really don’t have much for you other than he is going on the IL but it’s a little inconclusive right now exactly what.”

Given that uncertainty, it’s hard to know exactly how serious this will be for the Yankees. However, even a minimum absence could have an impact in this late stage of the season, as there are just over four weeks remaining on the regular season schedule. Acquired from the Royals prior to the trade deadline, Benintendi is having a solid season at the plate, one of his best showings in years. His .302/.371/.397 battling is 21% better than the league average hitter this year, as evidenced by his 121 wRC+. That’s just shy of his career best in that department, as he registered a 123 wRC+ back in 2018.

The Yanks will have to do without his production for at least the next week and a half, with the results of the continued testing still to determine the next steps. Until then, they will have to get by with an outfield mix consisting of Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, Marwin Gonzalez, Tim Locastro and Florial. Giancarlo Stanton could theoretically be a factor as well, though he’s been used exclusively in the designated hitter role since returning from his own IL stint. Despite running away with the AL East for much of the season, the club has been in a rough slide lately, seeing their lead over the Rays slip to just five games. They would surely love for someone in that group to step up and make up for Benintendi’s absence in order to help keep them in the driver’s seat down the stretch.

Banda, 29, previously pitched for the Pirates and Blue Jays earlier this year, in addition to a brief stint in the minors for the Mariners. He signed with the Yankees on Sunday and made two appearances in pinstripes. The first one went well enough, as Banda entered the club’s game against Oakland on Sunday with one out and no one on in the fifth. He surrendered a walk sandwiched between two outs to finish the inning. His second appearance came last night and didn’t go nearly as well. With the Yanks down 5-0 to the Rays in the eighth, Banda entered with two men on and faced six batters, walking three of them, hitting another and giving up two singles. That leaves with a 40.50 ERA through two thirds of an inning as a Yankee, though a 6.75 ERA on the season overall. Despite that unfortunate ERA, he does have a career-high 22.2% strikeout rate on the year. The Yankees will place him on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days, though Banda would have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, by virtue of having been previously outrighted in his career.

As for Weber, 32, he’s bounced on and off New York’s roster all year long, generally faring well in brief stints with the big league club. He was first selected in June but was designated for assignment the next day. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and re-signed with the club on a new minor league deal. That same cycle happened two more times, making today the fourth time he’s been selected to the roster, never staying in the majors more than about a week. He has a 1.17 ERA in 7 2/3 innings over those sporadic showings, in addition to a 3.86 ERA in Triple-A for the year. His control has been excellent at both levels, as he has a 3.8% walk rate in the bigs and a 3.0% rate in the minors, much lower than the 9.1% average for an MLB reliever this year.

Lindsey Adler of The Athletic tweeted word from Boone about Benintendi’s IL placement before the moves were officially announced. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relayed the Banda-Weber swap before the official announcement.

Yankees Re-Sign Ryan Weber, Shane Greene To Minor League Deals

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The Yankees have re-signed right-handers Ryan Weber and Shane Greene to minor league deals, per an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Joining that pair in Scranton will be veteran reliever Richard Rodriguez, who inked a minor league deal earlier this month once he’d finished serving an 80-game PED suspension. Rodriguez has been building up with the Yankees’ Florida Complex League affiliate but is now headed for Triple-A.

This is old hat by now for Weber, who is signing his fourth minor league deal of the season with the Yankees. On three different occasions now, Weber has been selected to the 40-man roster, pitched in one game, been designated for assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers. Each time, he’s returned on a new minor league deal. In all likelihood, this scenario will play out again the next time the Yankees need some length in the bullpen — or possibly a spot start. The journeyman Weber has pitched well both with the Yankees and the RailRiders this season, but his overall track record in the Majors is fairly pedestrian: 174 2/3 innings, 5.10 ERA, 14.7% strikeout rate, 5.4% walk rate.

Greene, meanwhile, made his MLB debut with the Yankees back in 2014 and was traded to the Tigers in the three-team deal that brought Didi Gregorius to the Bronx. He went on to have a long run as a quality setup man and occasional closer for the Tigers and Braves, but Greene’s production has slipped in recent years. He returned to the Yankees on a minor league deal earlier this season and, like Weber, was briefly selected to the Majors and then designated for assignment after one lone appearance, during which he allowed a pair of runs. It wouldn’t be a shock if Greene received another look and again followed the same cycle that Weber has for much of the year.

Ryan Weber Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Ryan Weber has once again rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency after clearing waivers, the Yankees announced Tuesday. New York designated Weber for assignment for the third time this season back on July 21.

Weber has gone unclaimed on waivers, rejected a minor league assignment and quickly returned to the Yankees on a new minor league deal following each of his prior DFAs, and it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see that same sequence pan out here. Declining the outright assignment is often a formality, allowing veterans of this ilk to quickly scan the league for potential immediate MLB opportunities and perhaps to negotiate a new opt-out date if they ultimately return to the same organization. It’s clear based on how the season has panned out that Weber is comfortable with the Yankees organization and that they find value in hanging onto him as an experienced depth option.

The 31-year-old Weber has now appeared in three games with the Yanks this season — one per stint — and pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He’s punched out just two hitters in that time but also allowed only one walk and induced a massive 60.9% ground-ball rate. His most recent appearance saw him pitch three innings of shutout relief against the Red Sox.

Down in Triple-A this year, Weber has pitched to a 2.55 ERA in 24 2/3 innings while logging a terrific 19-to-1 K/BB ratio. Through parts of eight big league seasons, he has a 5.10 ERA 14.7% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 53.1% grounder rate in a total of 174 2/3 innings.

Yankees Reinstate Domingo Germán, Designate Ryan Weber

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The Yankees announced a couple of roster moves between games of today’s double-header against the Astros. Right-hander Domingo Germán was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, with fellow righty Ryan Weber being designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Germán, 29, is starting the second game of the twin bill, which will be his season debut. He’s been on the injured list all season due to shoulder issues. That’s the latest in a series of setbacks that have kept him from living up to the promise he showed a few years ago. In 2019, he threw 143 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate and 38.1% ground ball rate.

However, in September of that year, he was placed on administrative leave for violating the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy. He missed the entirety of the 2020 campaign while serving his suspension. He returned in 2021 but was limited by shoulder issues to 98 1/3 innings, with his ERA jumping to 4.58 in that stretch.

He recently began a rehab assignment and has been getting stretched out as a starter, throwing six innings in his last outing. He likely has a chance to stick around for a while, as long as he performs well enough. The Yankees have had incredible health in their rotation this year but recently suffered their first injury setback. Luis Severino was placed on the 15-day IL last week with a lat strain and likely won’t begin throwing again until August, manager Aaron Boone told Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.

For now, he’ll slot into the rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery. His performance and Severino’s health could determine how long he sticks around, though there’s also the possibility of the club adding an arm before the August 2 trade deadline. The Yankees have already been connected to Luis Castillo, the top available hurler. Germán still has an option and can be sent down if he gets nudged from the rotation.

As for Weber, he’s bounced on and off the roster all season, with this being the third time he’s been designated for assignment by the Yanks this year. The previous two instances, he cleared waivers and stuck with the team, later getting selected back to the bigs. In between those transactions, he’s thrown 7 2/3 innings in the big leagues with a 1.17 ERA. His 7.7% strikeout rate is very low, but he’s limited walks to a miniscule 3.8% rate and is getting ground balls at a decent 60.9% clip. He’s also thrown 24 2/3 Triple-A innings on the year, with a 2.55 ERA, 18.8% strikeout rate, 1% walk rate and 47.4% grounder rate. The Yankees will have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. If he clears waivers, he will have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, but might just stick with Yanks, based on precedent.

Yankees Place Luis Severino On 15-Day IL, Select Ryan Weber

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The Yankees announced they’ve placed starter Luis Severino on the 15-day injured list due to a low-grade strain of his right lat. Righty Ryan Weber was selected onto the big league club in his place. New York also reinstated reliever Jonathan Loáisiga from the 15-day IL, optioning JP Sears to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night to clear a roster spot. New York already had a 40-man roster vacancy after designating Weber for assignment last week, a job he’ll now reassume.

Severino left last night’s start against the Reds with shoulder tightness. He’d dealt with slightly diminished velocity and was sent for an MRI this morning. That revealed some degree of injury to his lat, though the Yankees’ specification that it’s a low-grade strain is seemingly a positive development. New York hasn’t provided any specifics on a timetable for his return, but he’ll at least miss a start or two coming out of the All-Star Break.

It’s the first time all season the Yankees are dealing with an injury to one of their top five starters. Severino had joined Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon in staying healthy to this point. Depth starter Luis Gil was lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, but New York seems likely to welcome back Domingo Germán coming out of the Break. Out all season due to shoulder concerns, Germán has been on a minor league rehab assignment for the past few weeks. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Lindsey Adler of the Athletic) the righty will make another start with Scranton tomorrow, but he could be in consideration for activation not long thereafter.

Weber rejoins the active roster as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. The journeyman has been on and off the roster a couple times, twice soaking up some frames of relief but being DFA quickly thereafter. Weber has spent the majority of the year with the RailRiders, pitching to a 2.55 ERA through 24 2/3 innings. He has a modest 18.8% strikeout rate in the minors, but he’s walked only one of 101 batters faced while inducing ground-balls at a solid 47.4% clip. That’s also been the general trend over Weber’s parts of eight seasons in the majors — excellent control and a fair number of grounders but below-average velocity and whiff rates.

Yankees Outright Ryan Weber

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TODAY: The Yankees outrighted Weber to Triple-A

JULY 6: The Yankees announced Wednesday that right-hander Ryan Weber has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to righty Miguel Castro, who’s been reinstated from the paternity list.

Weber, 31, appeared in just one game in his latest Yankees stint, tossing a scoreless inning of relief on just 11 pitches. He’s totaled 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball with the Yankees this season, spending the remainder of the season with their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton. This is the second time Weber has been designated for assignment this season. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed with the Yankees the first time around. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the same sequence play out once again, as it’s fairly common for journeyman pitchers of Weber’s nature. (See also: Drew Hutchison in Detroit this season)

The Yankees are the seventh Major League team for which Weber has pitched since debuting with the Braves back in 2015. He’s logged big league time each season since that debut but has never appeared in more than 14 games and has maxed out at 43 Major League innings in any given season. Through 171 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, Weber has a 5.19 ERA with a well below-average 14.8% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.3% walk rate and a strong 52.9% grounder rate.

The Yankees will have a week to trade Weber, attempt to pass him through waivers or release him.

Yankees Select Ryan Weber

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The Yankees have selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber, per a team announcement. He’ll return to their big league roster for a second stint this season. Weber will take the roster spot of lefty JP Sears, who was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following last night’s game.

Weber, 31, appeared with the Yankees once this season already, logging 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run in a long relief outing. It was a one-off appearance for Weber, who was designated for assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers. He quickly re-upped with the Yanks on a new minor league deal, however (as is fairly common for journeymen arms in this mold), and has continued to pitch well in Scranton. Through 24 2/3 frames for the RailRiders, Weber has a 2.55 ERA with an outstanding 19-to-1 K/BB ratio and a solid 47.4% ground-ball rate.

The Yankees are the seventh Major League team for which Weber has pitched since debuting with the Braves back in 2015. He’s logged big league time each season since that debut but has never appeared in more than 14 games and has maxed out at 43 Major League innings in any given season. Through 170 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, Weber has a 5.22 ERA with a well below-average 14.8% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.4% walk rate and a strong 53.2% grounder rate.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar DFA carousel play out this time around for Weber, but he’ll nevertheless pick up at least a few extra days of big league service time and (most notably for him) Major League pay. Despite appearing in parts of seven MLB seasons, Weber hasn’t yet reached three years of service and has never been arbitration eligible, so even brief Major League stints carry extra weight for him.

Yankees Re-Sign Ryan Weber To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have re-signed righty Ryan Weber to a minor league contract, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. He’ll head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Weber returns to the organization just two days after electing free agency. He’d spent the entire season in Scranton before being selected to the MLB roster last Thursday. Weber spent one day in the majors, tossing 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball in relief against the Rays, before being outrighted back off the 40-man roster. He refused a minor league assignment but quickly re-signed on a new non-roster pact. That’s not uncommon in situations like these, as the renegotiated contract can come with different terms or possible opt-out opportunities.

The 31-year-old has tossed 21 1/3 frames over eight appearances (four starts) in Scranton this season. He’s posted an impressive 2.95 ERA, compensating for a below-average 16.9% strikeout rate with a 47.1% ground-ball percentage. Weber has remarkably only walked one of 89 batters faced with the RailRiders. That’s in line with his career results, as he’s shown excellent control and grounder numbers but rarely missed many bats as a professional.

Ryan Weber Elects Free Agency

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The Yankees announced Monday that right-hander Ryan Weber rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency. That indicates that Weber, who was designated for assignment last week, first went unclaimed on outright waivers. Because he’s been outrighted previously in his career, Weber had the right to reject the assignment.

New York was the sixth stop for the well-traveled Weber, a 31-year-old journeyman who’s seen at least brief Major League time in every season dating back to 2015. Though he’s never appeared in more than 18 games or topped 43 innings in a single Major League season, Weber has slowly racked up 170 2/3 innings at the game’s top level. He made just one appearance for the Yankees after being selected to their Major League roster, during which he held the Rays to one run on two hits with no walks and a strikeout in 3 2/3 frames. A solo homer to catcher Francisco Mejia proved to be his lone blemish that day.

That solid outing aside, Weber owns a career 5.22 ERA in the big leagues, generally relying on a big 53.2% grounder rate and a strong 5.4% walk rate to help offset his lack of velocity (89.1 mph average sinker) and lack of missed bats (14.8% strikeout rate, 5.9% swinging-strike rate). Weber has had some decent stretches in the big leagues and has been far more effective as a reliever (4.49 ERA in 100 1/3 innings) than as a starter (6.27 ERA in 70 1/3 frames).

Despite never finding much consistent success in the Majors, Weber has had plenty of just that down in Triple-A. The former 22nd-rounder (Braves, 2009) has appeared in parts of seven Triple-A campaigns with a 3.14 ERA, an 18% strikeout rate and a tiny 4.4% walk rate in 485 innings. That includes a sharp showing with the same Scranton affiliate to which he just refused an outright assignment; in 21 1/3 innings with the RailRiders this year, Weber posted a 2.95 ERA with a 15-to-1 K/BB ratio and a 47.1% ground-ball rate.

Yankees Designate Ryan Weber For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that they have reinstated Luis Severino from the COVID-19 injured list, with right-hander Ryan Weber being designated for assignment in a corresponding move. This is the inverse of today’s earlier transaction, where Severino went on the IL, with Weber taking his roster spot. Severino has since tested negative and rejoined the team.

Weber, 31, has worn a number of jerseys in his career, suiting up for Atlanta, Seattle, Tampa, Boston and Milwaukee before this season. This winter, he was signed by the Yankees to a minor league deal and impressed down on the farm. Through 21 1/3 innings with the RailRiders, he had a 2.95 ERA. His 16.9% strikeout in that time wasn’t stellar, though his 1.1% walk rate certainly was.

After Severino experienced viral symptoms and needed to bow out of today’s start, the Yanks called on Weber to help bail them out of the emergency situation. Weber answered the call with aplomb, throwing 3 2/3 innings against the Rays in relief tonight, allowing one earned run on two hits. The Yanks would eventually earn a walkoff 2-1 victory over their division rivals in the contest.

However, as a reward for his valiant efforts, Weber has been sent into DFA limbo. The club will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers. If he were to clear waivers, he would be able to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency as a player who has previously been outrighted in his career.

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