The Yankees have signed right-hander Peter Strzelecki to a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Strzelecki will begin his tenure with his new team at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Brewers signed Strzelecki to a minors deal back in February, and selected that contract to the 26-man roster last Saturday. However, Strzelecki’s return to the big leagues was very brief, as Milwaukee designated him for assignment the very next day, and before the right-hander could get into a game. Strzelecki cleared waivers and, since he has been outrighted in the past, he had the ability to elect free agency rather than accept the outright assignment back to Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate.
His time on the open market was brief, and the righty now lands with what is technically one of his hometown teams — Strzelecki was born in Queens, though he grew up in Florida. Strzelecki is still looking for his first MLB action since 2024, when he had a 2.31 ERA over 11 2/3 innings for the Guardians. Over 83 2/3 career innings with the Brewers (in a previous stint in Milwaukee), Diamondbacks, and Guardians, Strzelecki has a 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 8.4% walk rate.
Despite these solid numbers, Strzelecki’s low-90’s velocity may not turn many heads, and he is out of minor league options. If the Yankees were to select his contract to their active roster, they’d have to DFA Strzelecki and expose the 31-year-old to waivers again before trying to send him back down to the minors. The lack of roster flexibility may lead to more trips through DFA limbo for Strzelecki down the road, but for now he’ll stay in SWB as bullpen depth.
