Browsing: Yarbrough

The Yankees expect their rotation to be tested early next season, with several key starters set to begin the year on the injured list. Brian Cashman has spoken about pursuing depth, which pointed them toward a reunion with Ryan Yarbrough.

Yarbrough has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract to return to the Bronx, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Monday. The agreement, which is pending a physical, has not been formally announced by the club.

Signed late this March after opting out of his Minor League deal with the Blue Jays, Yarbrough was a valuable swingman, posting a 3-1 record and a 4.36 ERA in 19 games (eight starts).

As a starter, he posted a 3.83 ERA, but the left-hander missed two months with a right oblique strain sustained in mid-July. Overall, Yarbrough limited left-handed batters to a .198 average and a .360 slugging percentage.

Yarbrough, who will turn 34 on Dec. 31, has posted a 4.22 ERA across eight Major League seasons, making 76 starts among his 215 appearances.

The Yankees will be without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt to begin the 2026 season, increasing pressure on Max Fried and other members of the rotation.

“We have pitching depth, but itâ€s going to be challenged early,†Cashman said during the General Managers Meetings. “We have a stressor on the front end of the rotation, and hopefully thatâ€s without any further injuries. Hopefully the off-days will play a nice role early on when we need a fifth starter.

“Hopefully health is blessed early in the rotation as well, in the early portion of February, March and April, but you canâ€t count on that. Of course, weâ€ll be exploring how to protect ourselves so weâ€re not taking on water early.â€

A fourth-round pick of the Mariners in the 2014 Draft, Yarbrough has pitched for the Rays, Royals, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Yankees since his debut in â€18.

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  Jorge CastilloNov 17, 2025, 11:50 AM ET

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  ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

The New York Yankees, in the market for rotation and bullpen depth, have reached an agreement to re-sign versatile left-hander Ryan Yarbrough to a one-year contract, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.

The deal is pending a physical.

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Yarbrough rejoins the Yankees after signing a major-league deal with the club on the final day of spring training last March. He went on to post a 4.36 ERA over 64 innings, bouncing between the rotation and bullpen to make eight starts and 11 relief appearances, and missed more than two months with a strained oblique.

For now, the eight-year veteran gives the Yankees insurance for a rotation that will begin the season without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt.

Cole is not projected to return until mid-May at the earliest as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Rodón is expected to miss at least the first few weeks of the season after undergoing surgery on his left elbow to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur last month. Schmidt won’t be cleared to return from Tommy John surgery until the second half of the season, at the earliest.

“Hopefully, health is blessed early in the rotation as well as in the early portion of February, March, and April, but you can’t count on that,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said last week. “So, of course, we’ll be exploring how to protect ourselves so we’re not taking on water early because our rotation is compromised out of the gate. Certainly can’t wait to get those guys back — and Cole and Rodón especially — but, yeah, it’s an area for us to focus on.”

As it stands, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren will begin the season in the Yankees’ rotation. The fifth spot could go to Yarbrough. Should the Yankees further address the rotation this offseason or give a spot to another pitcher in their farm system, Yarbough could serve as the bullpen’s long man and second lefty alongside Tim Hill.

Fansided first reported the agreement between Yarbrough and the Yankees.

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