The New York Yankees made a quietly intriguing roster move Friday, claiming right-handed reliever Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Houston Astros.
The 33-year-old veteran adds a seasoned option to New York‘s bullpen mix as the club looks to solidify depth and competition ahead of Spring Training.
New York announced the claim via its official social media channels, bringing Ort into a bullpen group that already features high-profile arms like closer David Bednar and setup man Camilo Doval, along with a slew of returning and newly acquired relief options.
Ort‘s journey to this point has been unusually circuitous. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, he originally signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a non-drafted free agent in 2016 before briefly entering the Yankees‘ minor league system in 2017.
After being selected by the Boston Red Sox in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft, Ort made his MLB debut with Boston in 2021 and went on to spend parts of three seasons with the Red Sox.
He joined the Astros organization in 2024 and has spent the past two seasons in Houston‘s bullpen.
In 2025 with the Astros, Ort made 49 relief appearances, posting a 4.89 earned run average with a 1.35 WHIP while recording a career-high 49 strikeouts in 46 innings.
Yankees hope experience pays off
While Ort‘s traditional statistics last season were modest, the Yankees will likely focus on the right-hander’s ability to handle high-leverage situations and his track record of limiting inherited runners from scoring.
In 2025, he allowed only three of 19 inherited runners to score, a 15.8% rate that signals effectiveness in situational relief.
Ort‘s profile also reflects some effectiveness against right-handed batters, who he limited to a .188 average in 2025, though lefties had more success against him.
For the Yankees, adding Ort isn’t just about numbers. It’s about injecting competition into a relief corps that lost Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency and saw changes across its late-inning mix.
Returning relievers such as Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick, Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and Paul Blackburn will also vie for roles, making for an open scramble when camp breaks.
Manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees‘ front office have long emphasized the need for bullpen depth in the postseason, and Ort‘s addition, while not headline-grabbing, represents a low-risk gamble on a pitcher familiar with high-leverage innings.
Ort‘s New York connection dates to his early pro days, and while he never fully stuck with the Yankees during his first tenure, this return could offer redemption and opportunity.
His résumé includes starts with the Red Sox and a two-year stint in Houston, giving him a broad perspective on different bullpen roles and expectations.
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