The Yankees front office remained active today by signing RHP Yerry De Los Santos. Representatives from Epitome Sports Management announced the move on their Instagram early Monday evening. De Los Santos is the prototypical Yankee reliever most favored by GM Brian Cashman — he throws the ball hard, relies heavily on the sinker, and produces ground balls. While De Los Santos did finish the season with a 3.33 ERA over 24 1/3 innings, his campaign was cut short by an unspecified injury that landed him on the 60-day IL. Given the shoulder strain he suffered in 2022, injuries could prove problematic in the season’s dog days.
Combine potential injury issues with obvious command problems, and you get a pitcher not dissimilar to the recently non-tendered Albert Abreu. He is a late-inning, low-leverage reliever who issues too many walks and not enough strikeouts and tends to leave his sinker hanging. De Los Santos does post a 54.5 percent career ground ball rate, which compliments the Yankees’ pitching priority of producing ground-outs.
This latest Yankee acquisition isn’t moving the needle in any meaningful way, but it isn’t unreasonable. De Los Santos is still young, and with consistent big-league reps, he could develop into a solid piece of the Yankees bullpen.
By The Numbers
Yerry De Los Santos signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in 2014 and made his major league debut on May 25th, 2022. In 26 rookie appearances, De Los Santos posted an ERA of 4.91 over 25.2 innings pitched, struck out 26, walked 11, registered a FIP of 4.01, and a WHIP of 1.286. The 2023 season saw a significant improvement in his ERA, finishing at 3.33 over 24.1 innings pitched. De Los Santos experienced some regression, however. He walked 13 while only striking out 18, posted a FIP of 4.04, and a slightly improved WHIP of 1.233.
The Verdict
What the Yankees have added to their bullpen is a young pitcher with a history of injuries and a lack of consistency. He gives up a lot of base hits, issues too many free passes, and his sinker can be erratic. However, he throws the ball hard and produces a lot of ground balls. De Los Santos has upsides, but much work will be required to reap that fruit. With two minor league options remaining, more than anything, Yerry De Los Santos was a very safe addition.
