PITTSBURGH – After another scoreless outing, Brent Headrick received a demotion.
The Yankees optioned the left-handed reliever on Sunday night. The move came just a few hours after Headrick struck out four batters over two scoreless innings and 36 pitches in the Yankees’ 11-inning loss to the Pirates. The move also came as Adam Ottavino was making his way to Detroit to meet up with the Yankees for their series opener against the Tigers on Monday, a source confirmed to the Daily News.
SNY’s Andy Martino first reported that Ottavino was on the move and re-signing with the Yankees on Sunday night.
Ottavino initially signed with the Yankees on April 1, made two scoreless appearances for them, and was then designated for assignment on April 4. On Sunday afternoon, he elected free agency in lieu of accepting a minor league assignment with the Yankees, but the two parties ended up back together again.
A New York City native, Ottavino previously pitched for the Yankees from 2019-2020.
It’s possible that the Yankees will only keep Ottavino for a day, as Ian Hamilton (infection) is eligible to come off the injured list on Tuesday. He is expected to join the Yankees in Detroit.
Headrick, meanwhile, has a 0.00 ERA over 5.1 innings this season following Sunday’s outing. The lefty has been sharp for the Yankees, but he had a minor league option and logged multiple innings on Sunday, so the Bombers cleared space for a fresh arm.
