
The Yankees made no progress Monday in their quest to add a right-handed bat before Thursday’s season opener.
They did add depth to their pitching staff for the start of the season and maybe later on with two signings.
In addition to signing veteran left-hander Ryan Yarbrough for one year at $2.5 million to start the season in their bullpen, they’ve added right-handed starter Jake Woodford on a minor-league deal, MLB Trade Rumors first reported.
Woodford, 28, was released by the Rockies on Sunday after pitching to a 5.25 ERA in seven Cactus League outings, three as a starter. He allowed seven runs over 12 innings on 12 hits and four walks.
Woodford is expected to begin the season as a starter for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His pitch mix is 91-92 mph sinkers, 80-81 mph sweepers and 88-89 mph cutters.
The Yankees have been adding pitching this week because they’ll begin the season with three-fifths of their projected rotation and six relievers on the injured list. Two other starters are injured, a depth piece and a top prospect.
A 6-foot-4, 215 pounder, Woodford has spent parts of the last five seasons in the majors and pitched for two clubs in 2024, the White Sox and Pirates. In nine games, seven as a starter, he was 0-6 with a 7.97 ERA.
In Triple-A, Woodford was 3-5 with a 3.93 ERA in 20 games, 19 starts, with 91 strikeouts and 27 walks in 94 innings.
Woodford is 10-13 with a 4.88 ERA in 89 career major-league games, 25 starts, for the Cardinals (2020-23), White Sox (2024) and Pirates (2024). His best season was 2022 when he was 4-0 with a 2.223 ERA in 27 games for St. Louis, all but one as a reliever.
In 2015, Woodford was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round, 39th overall, out of Plant High in Tampa.