The New York Yankees made a couple of transactions before the first pitch of Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. In an attempt to refresh the pitching corps, specifically the bullpen, the Bombers purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Tyler Lyons.
Lyons is a 32-year old reliever with plenty of big league experience. His best years came with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he pitched from 2013 to 2018 with success and was a mainstay in the bullpen. He found himself with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019.
With the Bucs, Lyons struggled to the tune of a 11.25 ERA in four innings of work. He allowed six hits and five runs, with three bases on balls and five strikeouts. His 2.25 WHIP left a lot to be desired.
He had a good run with the Yankees
However, the New York Yankees rescued him and he had a good run in September 2019, with eight frames of a 4.15 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He punched out an impressive 12 hitters with only two walks over that timeframe.
Lyons had success with the Yankees on the strength of his slider, which he began using more in the Bronx. He is hoping to enjoy similar success a year later and help the team in the last few games of the season.
In other moves, the Yankees placed right-handed hurler Ben Heller on the 60-day injured list with a right biceps nerve injury. He had conceded a couple of runs on five hits and two walks over six innings of relief this year with the Bombers.
The Yankees also optioned righty Mike King to their alternate training site. The young pitcher had a role in Monday’s loss to the Blue Jays, as he allowed five earned runs over just 2 2/3 innings. He has a 7.76 ERA and 26/11 K/BB ratio in 26 2/3 total frames in the 2020 season.