With the Yankees continuing to reassign players to Minor League camp to create more playing time for their everyday regulars, they’ve announced three more moves today. Prior to the game, left-hander Tanner Tully was optioned to Minor League camp, and now they’ve announced both J.C. Escarra and T.J. Rumfield were sent down as well. That doesn’t mean that these players are not allowed to participate in Spring Training games, Luis Gil has already been reassigned when he pitched today in their loss against the Tampa Bay Rays.
This just clears up who will and won’t make the team, and nobody on the list of reassignments should shock anybody, considering that the Yankees weren’t adding a catcher, first baseman, or starting pitcher to their 40-man roster when nobody of significance at those positions has suffered an injury yet.
Reassignments Continue For Yankees As Spring Training Rolls On
The Yankees were not going to bring in Tanner Tully to make MLB starts on Opening Day, although he did turn in a strong start against a pretty formidable New York Mets lineup earlier in the week. He was signed in Minor League free agency after returning from a brief stint in the Korean Baseball Organization, spending time with the Yankees last year as well in the first half. The southpaw is a soft-tosser who relies on command and movement over velocity to get outs, which doesn’t bode well in the modern game and is likely why he’s lower on the depth chart.
Having depth isn’t going to hurt however, and he could pitch some innings in a pinch if the Yankees were to have a worst-case scenario, which you always have to be prepared for. He has yet to make his MLB debut, with a 4.10 ERA and 3.90 FIP across 805 innings in his Minor League career. Another veteran who the Yankees scooped up in MiLB free agency was J.C. Escarra, who had played international baseball last year and spent his entire affiliated career with the Baltimore Orioles, and he has also yet to make his MLB debut.
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The lone prospect in this group is T.J. Rumfield, who the Yankees acquired from the Phillies a couple of years ago and had a breakout season in Double-A last year. The left-handed hitting first baseman finally tapped into his raw power, crushing 17 home runs in 82 games after hitting just four home runs at the professional level. While the Yankees have Ben Rice on the horizon and Anthony Rizzo at the Major League level, it’s not impossible for Rumfield to build on his 2023 campaign and turn more heads in the organization.
He boasts high walk rates and low strikeout rates, and while the average took a hit as he started to lift the ball more, the goal is that the smooth-fielding first baseman can find more comfort with his new swing in 2024. Rumfield is entering his age-24 season, and this could be a big season for one of the many hidden gems of the Yankees’ deep farm system. The waves of reassignments and roster cuts will only continue to roll as we draw closer to Opening Day, and there are still many decisions for the front office to make in the coming days.