Reliever Phil Bickford elected free company in lieu of an outright task by the Yankees, in keeping with a crew announcement. New York had designated the right-hander for task on Sunday. He evidently cleared waivers.
Bickford solely spent a little bit greater than every week on the MLB roster. He signed a minor league pact in early April after being launched by the Mets on the finish of camp. The previous first-rounder pitched to a 2.93 ERA throughout 27 2/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out nearly 30% of opposing hitters in opposition to a ten.3% stroll fee. That’s a number of extra free passes than excellent however isn’t unmanageable.
It was a powerful sufficient minor league exhibiting to get Bickford a quick look within the Bronx. He couldn’t carry that over in opposition to MLB competitors. Bickford labored 5 innings, permitting 9 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and a stroll. Bickford tossed scoreless outings in his first two appearances earlier than permitting runs in every of his closing three video games. That included a five-run outing in opposition to the Blue Jays on Saturday during which Bickford solely logged two outs.
The 28-year-old (29 subsequent week) topped 50 MLB innings in each season from 2021-23. Bickford managed a 2.81 ERA between the Brewers and Dodgers three years in the past. He allowed practically 5 earned runs per 9 within the subsequent two seasons, albeit with strong strikeout and swinging strike numbers. Bickford will doubtless signal one other minor league deal within the subsequent few days. The Yankees might look to carry him again, because it’s not unusual for gamers to re-sign with their prior group after declining an outright task.
