Yankees activate Justin Wilson from injured list

Prior to the start of the upcoming weekend series with the Rays at Tropicana Field, the Yankees made a small move to activate lefty reliever Justin Wilson. No roster move was needed, as the team had sent down Michael King earlier in the week following an extensive 68-pitch outing on Sunday.

Signed in the offseason to return to the Yankees’ relief corps for the first time since his original stint in 2015, Wilson got off to an inauspicious start in spring training. He was lit up in multiple outings and had to leave his last appearance on March 22nd with tightness in his left shoulder. To be safe, Wilson had an MRI, and since no serious damage was revealed, the Yankees had him rest and receive treatment.

Wilson recovered and threw live batting practice on Saturday. All went well, so it was just a matter of time before he was eligible to return from the 10-day injured list. He will be in the Yankees’ bullpen for their game later this afternoon and given his strong background, he is expected to be a key contributor in middle-to-late relief throughout the 2021 campaign.

On another roster note, ESPN’s Marly Rivera reported that Rougned Odor is also in Tampa, though he needs to clear COVID intake protocols before potentially joining the team. The Yankees made a surprising trade for the former Rangers second baseman on Tuesday and although they will need to make another 26-man roster move to add Odor, they are hopeful that they can do before the end of the series against the Rays. At first glance, Tyler Wade or Jay Bruce would probably be most at risk, but we’ll see.