Left handed reliever Hideki Okajima, who was signed on a minor league contract, won’t ever put on the Pinstripes after he failed his physical, voiding his contract, according to David Waldstein of the NY Times.
Okajima was an instant success after coming over from Japan, putting up a 2.72 ERA, a 8.3 K/9, and a 2.9 BB/9 in his first three seasons. Things haven’t gone as well since then though as he put up a 4.47 ERA, a 6.5 K/9, and a 4.1 BB/9 in the past two years and spent most of last season in the minors.
Nobody expected much out of him this season, but he was brought in on a non-guaranteed contract with a chance to win a spot as the second lefty reliever out of the Yankees bullpen. Now that job will fall to Cesar Cabral, a Rule 5 draft pick the Yankees picked up this offseason, if they carry a second reliever at all.
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