ST. PETERSBURG — It’s like reunion week for the Yankees.
A day after promoting one-time top prospect Manny Banuelos, the Bombers signed Shane Greene, who was their 2013 Minor League Player of the Year, to a minor league deal on Thursday. Greene had a decent rookie season in pinstripes, but was a cornerstone in the Yankees deal to try and replace Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.
Now a reliever who is coming off a disastrous 2021 season, and a slow start at Triple-A, Greene is some veteran insurance for a Yankee bullpen that’s taken some big hits recently.
“Obviously, he’s been a really good pitcher in the league, a backend guy, a closer,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday night. “So we’re seeing what he’s got. Get with us, I know our guys always have some things that they feel like they can tweak or maybe help a guy with obviously a ton of experience and a ton of success.
“I just know it was intriguing for us to get him and we’ll see what we’ve got,” Boone added.
In just the last week the Yankees bullpen has lost Chad Green for the season to Tommy John surgery and Aroldis Chapman (Achilles) and Jonathan Loaisiga (shoulder) to the 10-day injury list.
That’s a huge hit to what has been a key part of the Yankees’ ability to put up the best record in baseball, 32-13. The bullpen which had the fourth-best ERA in the American League and a corps of relievers who will be tested in the coming weeks by both those losses and an improved schedule of opponents. The four-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field this weekend is the first 10 of 13 games against teams with winning records. That comes after facing the perpetually rebuilding Orioles seven out of their previous 10 games.
And pitching coach Matt Blake has had some success with reclamation projects. He helped Clay Holmes find his way from a non-descript arm with the Pirates to probably the best reliever in baseball right now.
Greene has a major-league track record, but has struggled the last two years at whatever level he’s pitched.
Greene left the Yankees in 2015 and went on to have some success as a reliever after a 5-4, 3.78 ERA-season in his rookie year as a starter with the Yankees. He was part of the three-team deal that brought the Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius. Greene is a one-time All-Star who saved 32 games for the Tigers in 2018. He has 67 career saves and a 4.50 ERA in parts of nine seasons in the big leagues with the Yankees, Dodgers and Braves.
But he is coming off a career-worst 2021 season and the 33-year-old didn’t show much of a rebound in Triple-A this season. Last year, he posted a 7.23 ERA in 28 games with the Braves, who released him on Aug. 14, and the Dodgers.
Called back up to the big leagues on May 15 of this season, Greene pitched two shutout innings for the Dodger against the Phillies. After posting a 5.87 ERA in seven Triple-A appearances this year, however, Greene was released. The Yankees re-signed him Thursday.
The Yankees reunited with Banuelos this winter and finally promoted him to the major league 26-man roster on Thursday. After being part of the “Killer Bs,” with Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman, Banuelos was sidelined by injuries. He never made it to the majors with the Yankees before being traded to the Braves in 2015. He was in the bullpen Thursday night wearing the big league Yankees uniform in a real game for the first time.
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