The New York Yankees sign a veteran lefty reliever to a minor league deal

The New York Yankees made a minor signing on Thursday, when they inked left-handed pitcher Ryan Buchter to a minor league pact. According to the team, the transaction was executed on September 7.

Buchter, for now, will head to the Yankees alternate training site in Pennsylvania for the time being, but could be an option to be called up in the final portion of the season.

Buchter started the season with the Los Angeles Angels but chose to enter free agency after getting designated for assignment by the Angels at the beginning of September.

He is 33 years old and has a career 2.90 ERA (4.11 FIP) in parts of six seasons in the major leagues. He has pitched 220.0 innings to this point, with some strikeout ability (9.94 K/9) but also some control issues (4.14 BB/9.)

This season, he had a 4.50 ERA but a much worse 7.84 FIP in 10 games and six frames with the Angels.

The Yankees are hoping he can recapture his past form

Buchter usually relies on a four-seam fastball that averages around 93 miles per hour, a curveball, a cutter and a slider that he seldomly uses.

He was an effective reliever as recently as 2019 with the Oakland A’s, when he pitched 45.1 frames and had a 2.98 ERA, albeit with a 4.96 FIP. The Yankees are, of course, hoping that Buchter can at least come close to replicating those numbers.

The New York Yankees won against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night to avoid a sweep and stop a five-game losing streak. They will host the Baltimore Orioles from Thursday to Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

The team is 22-21 and needs to string some victories together to try and catch the Blue Jays in the second place of the American League East and to fend off the advances of the playoff-hungry Orioles and also the Detroit Tigers.