In a somewhat surprising move, the Yankees have announced that they’ve designated reliever David Carpenter for assignment. The move comes on the heels of activating Masahiro Tanaka from the disabled list. Many thought Esmil Rogers was the odd man out since Chris Capuano was moved to the bullpen to be the long man.
Carpenter, 29, was acquired this past offseason along with Chasen Shreve in exchange for Manny Banuelos. He was expected to be a vital cog in a strong bullpen, but was unable to do his job on a consistent basis for manager Joe Girardi. He retired only 13 of 22 first batters faced this season, and let four of nine inherited runners score. Carpenter was called in to last night’s game to relieve CC Sabathia, and promptly gave up a go-ahead RBI double to Austin Jackson, which probably sealed his fate.
Carpenter experienced recent success with the Atlanta Braves, going 4-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 2013. The Yankees thought that a reunion with former Brave teammate and catcher Brian McCann would be good for Carpenter, but it ultimately never panned out. He finishes his short Yankee career with a record of 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 18.2 IP.
Roster Moves: Returned @t_masahiro18 from rehab and reinstated him from the 15-day DL, designated RHP David Carpenter for assignment.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) June 3, 2015
