Yankees Announce 2 Roster Moves During Royals Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Toran Flores | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 1:02 PM ET

The New York Yankees were able to capture their second win in a row on Wednesday night against the Kansas City Royals.

It would help the Yankees win the series before the final game against the Royals on Thursday, and it was a positive sign after dropping their previous series against their division rival, the Boston Red Sox.

Right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt was able to get his third win of the season after pitching six innings, giving up just two hits and zero earned runs while striking out seven batters.

AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge hit home run No. 25, and Paul Goldschmidt contributed with another multi-hit game, boosting his batting average to .312 on the year.

Before wrapping up their series against the Royals and heading to Boston for a rematch with the Red Sox, the Yankees made several bullpen moves on Thursday morning.

The Yankees decided to option left-handed pitcher Brent Headrick to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Headrick has pitched in 13.1 innings for the Yankees this season, resulting in a 4.73 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and striking out 16 batters.

The move also initiated another pitching move for the Yankees, as they decided to release lefty Brandon Leibrandt.

The decision helped Leibrandt move on to new endeavors, and he signed with the CTBC Brothers Baseball Club in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).

Following last night’s game, the Yankees optioned LHP Brent Headrick to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Additionally, the Yankees have released LHP Brandon Leibrandt. Leibrandt has signed with the CTBC Brothers Baseball Club in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 12, 2025

New York hasn't announced its next move, but after clearing space in the bullpen, the team could be preparing to add other options on the mound – or possibly activate Giancarlo Stanton for his season debut.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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