The Yankees’ first signing ahead of the 2026 MLB season was not one of the big names on the market that have been linked with the Bronx Bombers. With needs in the outfield and in their bullpen, they have opted for an old acquaintance of the team.
We are talking about left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, a free agent who next year will play the role of wildcard in the pitching staff of the team led by Aaron Boone. This is a familiar face in the Yankees’ dugout, having already been part of it in a 2025 season of ups and downs, in which he missed more than two months due to injury.
Yarbrough, a 33-year-old (he will turn 34 at the end of 2025) with eight seasons of Major League experience, agreed to a one-year deal with the Bombers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic
In this way, the left-hander will repeat with the Yankees after playing for the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-2022), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-2024) and Toronto Blue Jays (2024).
A weapon to gain depth
In his MLB career, Ryan Yarbrough has 56 wins, 41 losses and a 4.22 ERA in 215 trips to the mound, 76 of them as a starter. It is this ability to assume various roles that makes him a versatile piece that adds depth to any pitching staff.
The Yankees have valued this quality to bring him back for 2026, a season in which they hope to see the best possible version of the left-hander on the mound. This year, although he missed time through injury, he showed flashes of quality, with an excellent 34% Hard Hits (batted balls with an exit velocity of 95+ mph) and also a low 6.9% Barrels (batted balls with an ideal combination of angle and exit velocity).
Yarbrough was also one of the best pitchers in average exit velocity (86.1 mph), below the league average (88.6).
A wild card in 2025
Yarbrough began 2025 as a member of the Yankees’ bullpen and in his first eight relief outings he posted a 4.11 ERA, with 16 strikeouts and six walks in 15.1 innings of work. During that span, he faced 65 batters and allowed only three extra-base hits, all home runs.
But since the beginning of May, manager Aaron Boone decided to move him to the rotation, which was feeling the absences due to injury of Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil. In his new role, the left-hander made eight starts and in seven of them allowed two runs or less. Only against the Red Sox was he punished with nine hits and eight runs in four innings on June 7.
Outside of that outing, Yarbrough had a 2.25 ERA in 36 innings as a starter, with 30 strikeouts and nine walks, although he allowed six home runs. His progression was cut short in mid-June, when he was sent to the injured list with right oblique problems.
The ailment kept him off the field until mid-August, when he began his rehabilitation process in the Minor Leagues. However, it was not until September that he returned to the Majors, two and a half months after his last appearance with the Yankees. The return did not go well, as he was punished in three relief appearances and did not make the postseason.
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