The New York Yankees have had their pitching depth affected big-time during the 2022 campaign.
They lost two crucial relievers for the year in Chad Green and Michael King, they are currently down a key starter in Luis Severino, and other relievers such as Aroldis Chapman, Stephen Ridings, and Zack Britton are currently on the shelf.
Most of the members of their bullpen have visited the injured list at some point this year.
That’s why it never hurts to bring in some organizational pitching depth, even if the idea is to avoid using it in the big leagues.
“Chi Chi Gonzalez has signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal,” MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
Chi Chi Gonzalez has signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 30, 2022
Gonzalez, who pitched most of his career with the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies, is expected to provide useful minor league depth.
The Yankees Are Giving Him Another Chance
He recently opted out of his minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, and is signing a similar deal with the Yankees with the hope of contributing at some point.
The 2022 season has not gone well for Gonzalez, as he has an elevated 6.87 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 12/4 K/BB ratio over 18 1/3 innings (six appearances, four starts) between the Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers.
He hasn’t been much better in his career: in 280 innings, he has a 5.72 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.
A big portion of those innings has come at Coors Field, known as the hardest ballpark for pitchers, though.
The Yankees are hoping that they can help Gonzalez reach his highest performance level yet.
They do have the resources to try to resurrect his career: after all Gonzalez is a former first-round pick who is still 30.
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