The Yankees’ general lack of activity this offseason has given them plenty of wiggle room on their 40-man roster.
They took advantage of that on Friday by claiming righty reliever Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Astros.
Ort, the former Red Sox who spent the last two years in Houston, will join the mix to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ bullpen this spring. He becomes the first external addition to the 40-man roster this offseason who has MLB experience — the only other outside add being Rule 5 draft pick Cade Winquest, who will also be in the bullpen competition.
Set to turn 34 next month, Ort is coming off a season in which he posted a 4.89 ERA in 49 appearances with the Astros. He struck out 49 batters in 46 innings but walked 27, leading to a career-high walk rate.
Some of his underlying numbers were better, with an expected ERA of 3.41 and an expected batting average against of .188.
Ort was sharper in 2024, pitching to a 2.55 ERA across 22 outings, with 26 strikeouts and four walks in 24 ⅔ innings.
At his best, Ort offers some swing-and-miss potential with a hard fastball, one that averaged 96.4 mph last season, which ranked in the 83rd percentile. The four-seamer averaged 97.5 mph in 2024.
He also throws a sweeper, cutter and changeup.
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