Yankees Sign Pitching Depth Before Blue Jays Series

Peter G&period; Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees Sign Pitching Depth Before Blue Jays Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nicholas Covone | Last updated Aug 21, 2026 10:13 AM ET

The New York Yankees are on a roll following a sweep of their division rival Baltimore Orioles coming into their final meeting with the Toronto Blue Jays of the 2026 season.

Coming into this week, left-handed pitcher Max Fried was likely to pitch in this series with this rotation at full health following the return of left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodón.

Unfortunately, the Yankees rotation took another hit with a left elbow bone bruise to Fried that landed him on the 15-day injured list.

New York’s dream rotation of Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Ryan Weathers has yet to work out thus far.

The Yankees decided to help bolster their pitching depth by signing right-handed pitcher Eli Morgan to a minor league deal on Friday.

The #Yankees have a minor league deal with RP Eli Morgan, as @JonHeyman first mentioned.

Morgan was drafted by CLE when Matt Blake was still there. The righty is 2 seasons removed from a 1.93 ERA over 42 IP, but he’s got a 7.09 ERA/26.2 IP since. Dealt with some elbow issues in… https://t.co/dqw83HorDv
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) August 21, 2026

Morgan was once a reliable reliever with Cleveland for the first four years of his career before struggling with the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals in 2025-2026.

The 30-year-old pitched in 16 games for the Royals this season, posting a 5.12 ERA with 16 strikeouts, nine walks and a 1.71 WHIP in 19 1/3 innings.

However, the right-hander has performed well in Triple-A this season, posting a 1.40 ERA in 22 appearances.

While Morgan may not be able to help out the Yankees rotation, his depth to the bullpen could be able to push a player like Ryan Yarbrough into a brief starting spot with Fried on the shelf.

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

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