The New York Yankees announced that right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker will begin a rehab assignment with the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Yankees’ High-A Minor League affiliate. He has not appeared in an MLB game since 2022, as he underwent Tommy John Surgery following a UCL tear in Spring Training of 2023, and has battled injuries in his road back to the Major Leagues.
He was with the Yankees during Spring Training but suffered a rib injury after falling off the mound when he was struck by a comebacker in their first Grapefruit League game. The Yankees are hoping to build him up as a starter, as he can provide them with more depth, but they also have a tough decision to make with his roster status in the coming weeks.
JT Brubaker Begins Rehab Assignment, Yankees Have Tough Decision To Make
The Yankees have seemed to find their starting five for now, with Ryan Yarbrough slotting in as their fifth starter and Will Warren trending in the right direction as their fourth starter. That being said, they could have a rotation shake-up in the coming weeks if JT Brubaker looks sharp in his rehab assignment.
Brubaker does not have Minor League options remaining and cannot be sent down to Triple-A when his rehab is up without passing through waivers and accepting a demotion to the Minor Leagues.
Across 315.2 innings pitched, all of which came with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the right-hander has a 4.99 ERA and a 4.43 FIP, striking out 9.24 batters per nine innings.
When the Yankees acquired him from the Pirates, he had been rehabbing from a torn UCL he suffered during Spring Training of 2023.
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He will be pitching for the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Yankees’ High-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, and it is unclear how many starts he’ll need to be ready.
With Luis Gil slated to return closer to July, there’s time for Brubaker to get ready for a return to the big leagues and get some starts under his belt. It would take some pressture off of the Yankees’ bullpen with Ryan Yarbrough shifting to more of a long-reliever role again.
They could also have Yarbrough and Brubaker work in tandem as bulk pitchers in a bullpen game since they’re opposite-handed pitchers.
The Hudson Valley Renegades will host the Aberdeen IronBirds at 2:05 PM EST at Heritage Financial Park in Wappinger Falls, NY for this rehab game.