Reliever Phil Bickford elected free company in lieu of an outright project by the Yankees, based on a crew announcement. New York had designated the right-hander for project on Sunday. He evidently cleared waivers.
Bickford solely spent a bit of greater than per week on the MLB roster. He signed a minor league pact in early April after being launched by the Mets on the finish of camp. The previous first-rounder pitched to a 2.93 ERA throughout 27 2/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out virtually 30% of opposing hitters towards a ten.3% stroll fee. That’s a couple of extra free passes than splendid however isn’t unmanageable.
It was a powerful sufficient minor league exhibiting to get Bickford a short look within the Bronx. He couldn’t carry that over towards MLB competitors. Bickford labored 5 innings, permitting 9 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and a stroll. Bickford tossed scoreless outings in his first two appearances earlier than permitting runs in every of his closing three video games. That included a five-run outing towards the Blue Jays on Saturday by which Bickford solely logged two outs.
The 28-year-old (29 subsequent week) topped 50 MLB innings in each season from 2021-23. Bickford managed a 2.81 ERA between the Brewers and Dodgers three years in the past. He allowed almost 5 earned runs per 9 within the subsequent two seasons, albeit with stable strikeout and swinging strike numbers. Bickford will probably signal one other minor league deal within the subsequent few days. The Yankees might look to carry him again, because it’s not unusual for gamers to re-sign with their prior group after declining an outright project.
