The New York Yankees got some good news on their off-day, as they’ve announced that right-hander Cody Poteet will begin a rehab assignment with the Double-A Somerset Patriots. Across four starts for the Yankees, he posted a 2.14 ERA, relying on his command and deep repertoire to limit damage contact and get outs. While his strikeout numbers weren’t great, his mid-90s fastball and ability to throw a changeup, sweeper, and curveball on top of it allow a middling arsenal to play above its stuff grades.
It’s unclear when he’ll make his rehab start, but this is a very encouraging sign for the Yankees, who can use all of the pitching depth they can get right now.
Cody Poteet Takes Big First Step To Re-Joining the Yankees
The appeal of having Cody Poteet is easy to see, he’s a good depth starter who has a deep repertoire that includes two different fastballs, two different breaking balls, and a changeup on top of that. It’s possible that the reason his strikeout numbers from Triple-A didn’t translate to the Major Leagues was because of his shoulder issue, which sidelined him just four starts after replacing the injured Clarke Schmidt.
Gerrit Cole slotted into that rotation spot, so it’s hard to argue that the Yankees would have kept Poteet in their five-man rotation had he remained healthy. Still, the Yankees have some needs in their bullpen, and while Poteet doesn’t exactly fit the need for swing-and-miss pitching, he does have a solid track record out of the bullpen. He’s tossed 20.1 innings as a reliever in his Major League career, posting a 3.10 ERA and 3.95 xFIP over that stretch.
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What excites me about Cody Poteet is the addition of a sweeper, a pitch that should help him get right-handed batters out and generate some higher whiff rates. He lacked something that moved laterally to the glove side, and in combination with his already existing arsenal, it could allow him to translate well into a bullpen role. Lou Trivino is already on the way back as he’s with the Somerset Patriots right now on a rehab assignment, and Clarke Schmidt should be on the way soon.
Some expect that he begins his rehab assignment this week, as mentioned by Chris Kirschner of The Athletic on The Views From 314 Podcast this past afternoon. This pitching staff needs help, and with the deadline in the rear-view mirror, the Yankees will have to look internally and pray that their reinforcements can come off the IL, rehab properly and become key contributors on this roster for October.