Which of the many non-roster invitees in camp could end up contributing at the major-league level this year?
Tim Hill. Jake Cousins. Michael Tonkin. Dennis Santana. Tim Mayza. Yoendrys Gómez. Nick Burdi. None of these names were familiar to any but the most dialed-in Yankees fans before last season. By year’s end, they’d combined to contribute over 200 innings out of the Yankees bullpen. Some were non-roster invitee veterans, some waiver wire pickups along the way, and still others unheralded homegrown arms. Their contributions ranged from low-leverage inning eating to the back end of the Yankees’ playoff relief corps.
The churn of the modern MLB bullpen necessitates a high degree of turnover, creating a bevy of opportunities for under-the-radar hurlers to emerge. While teams are only allowed to carry 13 pitchers at a time — limiting the bullpen to eight arms assuming a five-man rotation — 29 different Yankees appeared in relief for the team last year. Assuming health, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Jonathan Loáisiga, Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton, Fernando Cruz, Cousins, and Hill are all experienced big-league relievers who will enter the spring with a leg up to make the roster.
But health (and performance) is a big assumption — not only for the season’s start, but as it progresses and attrition hits all aspects of the roster. Whether they crack the Opening Day roster or start the year in the minors, there are several unsung names in camp who could end up impacting the Yankees’ bullpen this season. Let’s profile a few of these potential contributors as they embark on a crucial opportunity this spring.
Tyler Matzek
The most high-profile name on this list, Matzek was a mainstay in the Braves’ bullpen between 2020 and 2022, recording a 2.92 ERA while allowing just seven homers across 135.2 innings in relief, good for a 149 ERA+. That excellence transcended the regular season, as he allowed just four runs in 24.1 postseason innings, including Atlanta’s 2021 title run, after which he was memorably (albeit briefly) detained by police who presumably mistook him for a fan crashing the celebratory parade.
During the 2022 postseason, the lefty was diagnosed with a UCL injury and underwent Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t been the same pitcher since, struggling mightily in comeback attempts with the Braves and Giants organizations. If healthy, Matzek would fill a hole in the Yankees’ bullpen, in which Hill is projected to be the only southpaw. Now 34, it’s unclear if the former champion has anything left in the tank.
Michael Arias
It’s been a long road to the Yankees’ 40-man for Arias. Drafted by the Blue Jays as a shortstop, the Cubs picked him up and converted him to a pitcher. As you might surmise given that background, the 23-year-old has promising stuff but has struggled with control. After adding Arias in mid-January upon his DFA by the Cubs, the Yankees have kept him on their roster while jettisoning others to clear room, suggesting they have more than a passing interest in the right-hander. Arias features a sinker, changeup, and slider, with the changeup considered the pitch with the highest ceiling.
Geoff Hartlieb
Buried in the media maelstrom that comes with a World Series appearance was the October signing of Hartlieb to a minor-league deal. The former 29th-round draft pick, who’s spent time with the Pirates, Mets, Marlins, and Rockies, has a career 7.37 ERA in 79.1 MLB innings but boasts a live fastball that has kept teams on the hook.
As with Arias, control has been his fatal flaw, with the right-hander allowing an untenable 6.2 walks per nine innings. Now 31, the Yankees will look to unlock more consistency in the talented Hartlieb.
Yerry De Los Santos
After nearly 10 years in the Pirates’ organization, De Los Santos spent last season with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, pitching to a 4.12 ERA and striking out an encouraging 55 in 59 innings. He was reasonably successful in his last season with Pittsburgh in 2023, recording a 3.33 ERA and 136 ERA+ in 24.1 innings, though his 4.04 FIP and miniscule chase and whiff rates suggested he was in line for some regression. The 27-year-old relies primarily on his sinker, which held opponents to a .167 batting average in 2023.
Brent Headrick
The Yankees claimed Headrick off waivers from Minnesota just this week, taking a flier on the 27-year-old who lost almost all of 2024 to injury. The southpaw made his debut for the Twins in 2023 and struggled in 14 appearances, posting a 6.31 ERA. Despite his fastball topping out in the low 90s, Headrick has averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine across his professional career, relying on a four-seamer and slider while mixing in a changeup against righties. Like Matzek, Headrick’s left-handedness gives him value in what’s shaping up to be a righty-heavy bullpen, as does the fact that he still has an option that will allow the Yankees to stash him at Triple-A to start the season should they so choose.
Colten Brewer
The only player on this list who’s actually appeared for the Yankees (making three relief appearances with the team in 2023), Brewer pitched in 16 games with the Cubs last year, his fourth MLB stop.
The righty’s slider has been his most effective pitch throughout his career, mixed in with a curveball and a revolving door of fastballs. Last year, he largely eschewed his cutter for a four-seamer that opponents raked to the tune of a .400 batting average. It’s unclear if the Yankees see potential in the 32-year-old taking another year to adjust to that pitch, which had never been a significant part of his arsenal before joining the Cubs, or if they will encourage him to revert back to his cutter, which was his primary pitch during his brief Yankees tenure.
Wilking Rodríguez
The oldest player on this list, the soon-to-be 35-year-old Rodríguez has been around the block a few times. Signed out of Venezuela by the then-Devil Rays in 2007, the right-hander made his MLB debut with the Royals in 2014, turning in two scoreless appearances.
Signed to a minor-league deal with the Yankees the next year, Rodríguez got off to a strong start at Triple-A but torpedoed his career with a positive PED test and 80-game suspension that ended his Yankees tenure. After seven years in the wilderness, pitching in Venezuelan and Mexican leagues, the Yankees gave him another shot in 2022, signing him to a minor-league deal once again. Before he could make another appearance with them, though, the Cardinals swooped him in the Rule 5 draft. Shoulder injuries limited him to 20 appearances in the Cardinals’ system over the past two years, opening the door for the Yankees to sign him to a third minor-league deal in December. He was reportedly hitting 97 mph on the gun during winter ball this offseason, which was enough to pique the Yankees’ interest yet again, 11 years after his MLB cup of coffee.
