As the New York Yankees are set to take on the Seattle Mariners in the second game of a three game series, the club announced a roster move prior to Saturday’s 1:05 game.
#Yankees called up Branden Pinder, optioned Bryan Mitchell. Probably want to stretch out Mitchell again for development/insurance
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 18, 2015
The team announced that they have recalled right-handed pitcher Branden Pinder from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. In a corresponding move, the team optioned Bryan Mitchell back to Triple-A. As Joel Sherman noted in his tweet, the move is likely to allow Mitchell to be stretched out as a starting pitcher.
Sending Mitchell back to the minors not only allows him to get his innings on the mound, but it also allows the club to stretch him out in case they need him in the big league rotation at some point down the stretch.
With the major league club, Mitchell was serving as a reliever, appearing in six games for the Bronx Bombers. In his 9.1 innings pitched, the righty posted a 2.89 ERA, while also picking up his first major league save. In 13 starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre this season, the 24-year-old has posted a 4-5 record with a 2.79 ERA.
Adding Pinder to the big league roster adds another quality right-handed reliever to manager Joe Girardi‘s bullpen. The right hander has spent most of his time this season between the big leagues and Triple-A, as he posted an 0-3 record with a 3.41 ERA in 19 appearances for Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
In his 9 appearances with the big league club so far this season, the 26-year-old has been solid, posting a 2.53 ERA throughout his 10.2 innings of work. If the Yankees can continue to get this type of production from Pinder, it is possible that he can become a bigger part of the bullpen throughout the remainder of the season.
