The Yankees are recalling right-hander Bradley Hanner from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Aaron Boone will have a fresh bullpen arm ready to go whenever he needs it. Jeff Passan broke the news first, noting Hanner has been filthy in Triple-A this year: a 2.10 ERA with 61 strikeouts across 51.1 innings.
The New York Yankees are calling up right-handed reliever Bradley Hanner, sources tell ESPN. Hanner, 27, has a 2.10 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 51.1 innings at Triple-A. A 21st-round pick in 2019, Hanner will make his major league debut when Aaron Boone calls his number.
This isn't a hyped prospect getting his first real shot. Hanner was a 21st-round pick, 629th overall, by the Minnesota Twins back in 2019, and he signed for a signing bonus of just $10,000. He bounced around the Twins' system through 2022, got claimed off waivers by Cleveland that December, and spent three seasons grinding through Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus before hitting free agency in November 2024.
The Yankees scooped him up on a minor league deal that could've been worth roughly $800,000 if he'd made the big-league roster out of camp. He didn't, but he kept pitching well enough that in mid-July he had an opt-out clause in his back pocket. Rather than risk losing him to another club, New York added him to the 40-man roster. Now, seven pro seasons and multiple organizational changes later, he's finally getting into a big-league game.
The timing lines up with a bullpen need, too. Kervin Castro landed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow neuritis after a strong stretch of relief work, and Hanner slots in as the fill-in. For a Yankees pen that's been leaned on hard down the stretch, a fresh arm with a 2.10 ERA and a strikeout rate that trends nearly 11 K/9 is a welcome addition, and not just as a body — Boone has real swing-and-miss stuff to deploy.
There's no glamour in a 27-year-old journeyman getting his debut in a pennant race, but that's exactly what makes it worth watching. Hanner has been passed over, waived and non-tendered his way through three organizations to get here. Whenever Boone actually calls his number, don't be surprised if the strikeouts show up immediately — and don't sleep on him in shallow fantasy leagues either, given the swing-and-miss profile he's carrying up from Triple-A.