Yanks boost depth with lefty reliever
He heard more jeers at the Stadium when he returned for the first time with Baltimore for the first time, though Hicks belted a home run during the Orioles’ July 4 win over the Yankees.
“Yeah [I was expecting the reaction],” Hicks said after that game. “The way that this year was going, things that I’ve been hearing while I was out there when I was here. I kind of assumed that was gonna happen, but I just go out there and continue to battle and try to win games.”
Yankees fans might still boo Hicks as he plays with the Angels, but they’ll do so with their own team continuing to pay the vast majority of his salary.
The Astros signing Josh Hader has turned into potential help for the Yankees bullpen.
The Yankees claimed lefty reliever Matt Gage off waivers from the Astros, the team announced Monday. Gage had been designated for assignment last week to make room for Hader on the Astros roster.
To open a spot for Gage on their own 40man roster, the Yankees designated infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo for as- signment 10 days after claiming him off waivers from the Mets.
Gage, a 30-year-old out of upstate New York (Johnstown) and Siena College, has posted a 1.83 ERA across 16 major league appearances with the Astros and Blue Jays. He has one minor league option remaining, increasing his value as an arm that could shuttle between the Yankees and Triple-A as needed.
The waiver claim also gives the Yankees another left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster, joining Victor Gonzalez, Nick Ramirez and Matt Krook — further insurance if they do not bring back lefty reliever Wandy Peralta in free agency.
Originally drafted by the Giants in 2014 as a starting pitcher, Gage left affiliated ball to pitch in the Mexican League in 2019 and in an independent league in 2020 before coming back as a reliever in the Diamondbacks’ system in 2021. He made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2022 and then split 2023 between the Astros and their Triple-A affiliate, where he pitched to a 4.58 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 37 ¹/₃ innings.