The Yankees announced this morning that they’ve designated veteran righty Adam Ottavino for assignment in order to clear roster space for fellow righty reliever Ian Hamilton, who’s being reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
It’s the second time the Yankees have designated Ottavino for assignment in the past week; he cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed after his previous DFA. The 39-year-old righty and New York City native has pitched in three games with the Yankees and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings — albeit with four walks. He’s also punched out three of the nine batters he’s faced.
The swift turnaround likely didn’t come as a surprise after his quick DFA and re-signing. Veteran pitchers, especially relievers who can’t be optioned to the minors, can often find themselves in this situation. The Yankees themselves have gone through similar situations in the past with righties David Hale and Ryan Weber; both pitchers were designated for assignment by the Yankees several times in the same season, quickly clearing waivers and re-signing on each occasion.
If Ottavino is comfortable with the setup, it’s quite possible he’ll go the same route following this DFA. Fans sometimes bristle at the nature of these carousel scenarios, but the player tends to be on board. Since he can’t be optioned, the recurring DFAs/re-signings effectively amount to being optioned and resummoned to the majors when a fresh arm is needed. If Ottavino (or any other player in this situation) grows weary of the gambit, electing free agency presents a clear path to finding a more palatable situation. However, as a Brooklyn native, he may be more amenable to a cyclical arrangement of this nature than most other veterans with his level of service time (13+ years). And, of course, if another club chooses to claim Ottavino, he’d gladly head to a new club willing to carry him in the big league bullpen.
Selected 30th overall by the Cardinals back in 2006, Ottavino made his MLB debut with St. Louis in 2010 and then spent the 2012-18 seasons as a mainstay in the Rockies’ bullpen after being claimed off waivers by Colorado early in the 2012 campaign. Since reaching free agency, he’s repeatedly signed with his hometown Yankees and Mets, plus a one-year stay in Boston (where he attended college) after being traded over from the Yankees in 2021.
In his more than 13 years of MLB service, Ottavino has tallied 744 2/3 innings with a 3.48 ERA, 46 saves, 194 holds, a 27.2% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate. He’s tacked on another 12 2/3 innings across five years and eight series in the postseason.
As for the 29-year-old Hamilton, he opened the season on the 15-day injured list. He was slowed by a lengthy bout with a viral illness early in camp which set him back a few weeks. He was hit hard in three Triple-A rehab outings, but the Yankees apparently feel his stuff is crisp enough and his arm is built up enough to rejoin the big league ’pen.
Hamilton was a minor league signee for the Yankees in 2023. He’d previously bounced from the White Sox, to the Mariners, to the Phillies, to the Twins, to the Guardians via the DFA carousel but has since broken out as a steady member of Aaron Boone’s relief corps. In 95 2/3 innings for New York across the past two seasons, he’s posted a 3.10 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate, 16 holds and three saves.
