Yankees claim Luke Weaver off waivers, send Nestor Cortes to 60-day IL

The New York Yankees keep making minor September moves. After sending Jonathan Loáisiga to the injured list and signing former farmhand Zach McAllister to an MLB contract, they claimed right-hander Luke Weaver off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees will be Weaver’s third organization this year, as he opened the season with the Cincinnati Reds. The Mariners, who had signed him in late August after the Reds released him, designated him for assignment over the weekend.

The numbers evidence why two teams removed Weaver from their respective rosters: he is sporting a 6.77 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP and a 93/37 K/BB ratio in 110.1 innings (26 appearances, 22 starts) between the two organizations.

The Yankees, however, are probably looking at him as a depth acquisition, hoping he can eat some innings as the season nears to an end. They’re just looking for warming bodies at this point.

To make room for Weaver on the roster, New York sent left-hander Nestor Cortes to the 60-day injured list. It had been unlikely for the lefty to return in 2023, but this essentially confirms it with him out since August 5th due to a rotator cuff injury.

Once a promising pitching prospect and first-round pick out of Florida State in 2014, Weaver’s career hasn’t been as good as initially hoped. He has a 5.18 ERA in 561 innings pitched with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Kansas City Royals, the Reds, and the Mariners.