The Yankees announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Nick Ramirez while righty Greg Weissert has been optioned in a corresponding move. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster when right-hander Colten Brewer was designated for assignment a couple of weeks ago. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com announced the promotion of Ramirez prior to the official announcement.
Ramirez, 33, pitched in the majors from 2019 to 2021, getting into 64 games between the Tigers and Padres in those years. He logged 110 2/3 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 20.4% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. He was outrighted by the Padres towards the end of the 2021 season and became a free agent at season’s end. After signing a minor league deal with the Mariners going into 2022, he posted a 2.93 ERA in 53 Triple-A appearances but didn’t get back into the big leagues.
The Yanks signed Ramirez to a minor league deal this winter and have seen him start out well, with a 1.74 ERA through 10 1/3 Triple-A innings. He surely won’t sustain a .179 batting average on balls in play, but that number could be on the low side due to a strong 60.7% ground ball rate. He’ll give the club a second left-handed option in the bullpen alongside Wandy Peralta. Ramirez still has a couple of options and can be send back down to the minors when a fresh arm is needed as the season goes along.
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