clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Yankees demote Ron Marinaccio, recall Jhony Brito to start

One of the Yankees’ bright young relievers from 2022 has hit a wall in 2023 and will have to fix himself in Scranton.

By Pinstripe Alley Staff
/ new
Kansas City Royals v New York Yankees Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

The MLB Trade Deadline is a little over 24 hours away as of the time of writing and the Yankees have made a transaction in advance of their three-game series against the Rays (who just traded for Cleveland’s Aaron Civale). Unfortunately for those looking for a clear buy or sell from New York, this move represents neither. It’s merely a small pitching shuffle.

Ron Marinaccio was one of the the Yankees’ success stories in 2022. A surprise addition to the Opening Day roster, the rookie threw 44 innings of 2.05 ERA/3.20 FIP ball, fanning 56 (11.5 K/9) while allowing just two dingers all season long. It seemed like he had earned his spot as a solid middle-relief staple with flexibility to set up if needed, but the magic hasn’t been there for Marinaccio in 2023. He started off well before several ugly outings in May inflated his numbers. The right-hander rebounded with one run allowed in all of June before getting absolutely clobbered in July:

Baseball Reference

The sad thing is that the statistics above would look even worse if it they didn’t include the 2.2 innings of scoreless garbage time that Marinaccio threw last night in Baltimore.

Marinaccio’s roster spot was already in jeopardy due to his shaky season and options remaining, and the fact that he threw 36 pitches on Sunday meant he’d be unavailable for a couple days anyway. So the Yankees went ahead and swapped him out to Triple-A Scranton, recalling fellow right-hander Jhony Brito.

Brito gets the call tonight because the scheduled starter for Monday, Domingo Germán, is “dealing with a physical issue,” per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. YES Network’s Jack Curry relayed some clarification from manager Aaron Boone:

So Germán probably won’t end up on the IL, but for now, Brito will step in. The 25-year-old rookie has a 4.70 ERA and 5.27 FIP in 12 games (11 starts) at the big league level in 2023. He hadn’t been particularly sharp through his first couple months, though when he returned from a brief pair of starts on late June, he looked better (two runs in 11.1 total innings against Seattle and Oakland). Brito had a 3.38 ERA and 4.35 FIP in three starts at Triple-A in July.

Update

Germán’s pitching the very night that he was scratched. Who knows, man?

More From Pinstripe Alley

Loading comments...