Yankees option trio of relievers to minor league camp

On Wednesday morning, the New York Yankees announced that they have optioned three relief pitchers to minor league camp, thus narrowing down the competition for the final bullpen spots with the big league club.

The @Yankees option RHPs Nick Goody and Branden Pinder and LHP Tyler Olson to @swbrailriders and reassign them to minor league camp.

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 30, 2016

The team reassigned Nick Goody, Branden Pinder and Tyler Olsen to minor league camp, optioning all three pitchers to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. With the roster moves, the Yankees now have Johnny Barbato, Luis Cessa, Anthony Swarzak and Kirby Yates battling for the final two bullpen spots. Pinder had the best spring out of the three pitchers who were optioned on Wednesday morning, as he posted a 1.42 ERA in seven appearances. Goody and Olsen both struggled this spring in their limited action, but all three pitchers will have the opportunity to work their way onto the big league roster. With the way the Yankees have managed their pitching, it will be no surprise to see any of these three pitchers with the big league club at some point in the near future. Manager Joe Girardi and his staff like to keep fresh arms available in their bullpen, so the "Scranton Shuttle" should be in full effect the 2016 season. In regards to the final two bullpen spots, it is possible that the roster could be close to being finalized as early as Thursday. Regardless of who wins the final two bullpen spots, the Yankees have a lot of quality pitching depth to work with, and it will be interesting to see how the team utilizes their pitching depth this season and beyond.