Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees are 4-1 to open the season before taking the field at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday to play their series finale vs. the Seattle Mariners. That means they have played five games already.
Naturally, the majority of pitchers on the staff have seen at least some action on the field. Every starter on the roster has pitched at least one game, and most of the relievers have, too. Some of them, like Brent Headrick, have four appearances already.
So, it’s puzzling to see Cade Winquest unused to this point. The Rule 5 Draft pick is yet to participate in an MLB game, both in 2026 and in his career.
A Puzzling Development
The idea of having a deep bullpen is, among other things, to distribute and administrate workloads. The Yankees, however, are carrying a pitcher they don’t want to use unless the game is very much open and decided.
That’s what Yankees manager Aaron Boone implied on Wednesday before the finale in Seattle. On Tuesday, the team built a 5-0 lead, yet Winquest still didn’t pitch. It appears, according to the skipper, that the magic number for the former Cardinal to make his debut is six runs up in the score.
“The Yankees won last night’s game by a 5-0 score. Aaron Boone said if the Yanks scored another run, Cade Winquest would’ve come in for his MLB debut,” Bryan Hoch posted on X.
The Yankees Are Rostering A Pitcher They Are Afraid Of Using
That statement makes Boone’s decision not to use him on Opening Day more puzzling. The Yankees were up 7-0 back then.
Winquest didn’t have the best of springs, posting a 7.20 ERA in 10 innings of work. He is also yet to pitch above Double-A, where he had a 3.19 ERA last year in 42.1 frames.
It seems, however, that the Yankees are carrying a pitcher they are afraid of using unless they are down with little chance of coming back, or if they’re up at least six runs.
League rules indicate that a team must carry a Rule 5 Draft pick on the roster all season. If not, he has to be returned to his original team, which is why the Yankees are probably still rostering Winquest.
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