As the deadline to solidify a 40-man roster of protected players from the Rule 5 Draft approaches, the Yankees just added Joe Harvey to their Major League roster.
Roster Move: The Yankees have selected RHP Joe Harvey to the 40-man Major League roster, which now stands at 39 players.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) November 20, 2018
Harvey was drafted in the 19th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Yankees. He started 2018 in Double-A Trenton and finished the season in Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. He functioned as a late inning reliever, going 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA between both levels in 59.1 innings pitched. He pitched to a 0.99 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 while saving 11 games.
Harvey has been dominant in the earlier levels of his career, as he pitched to a 1.05 ERA with Tampa in 2017 and a 0.84 ERA between rookie and Low-A ball in 2016. RailRiders beat writer Conor Foley says that Harvey’s high spin rate on his fastball is likely what kept him protected.
Harvey had great numbers with the RailRiders last year. He's got a fastball with a high spin rate that the Yankees love. https://t.co/IkEGLrJDnx
— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) November 20, 2018
The Yankees still have one more roster spot to fill. It is unlikely that they will try to select someone in the Rule 5 Draft, as they are still searching for a replacement for Didi Gregorious and some starting pitching.
