Who is Luke Weaver? Everything you need to know about Yankees' Nestor Cortes replacement claimed from Mariners
The New York Yankees are claiming Luke Weaver off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners. The team is experiencing a lot of injuries to its pitching staff, and the front office has been busy trying to patch those holes.
Luke Weaver is a pitcher who most recently played for the Seattle Mariners before being placed on waivers. He will now head across the country to New York.
Weaver previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, and Cincinnati Reds.
Weaver, who grew up as a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays, was drafted with the 27th overall pick in 2014 by the Cardinals after playing college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles.
The Yankees tweeted:
"Earlier today, the Yankees claimed RHP Luke Weaver off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have transferred LHP Nestor Cortes to the 60-day injured list."
The Yankees are not in the playoff race, but their roster continues to get thinned out. The front office needs players just to get through the season, so they promoted a former draft pick as well.
Nestor Cortes Jr. was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room. Weaver has a career ERA of 5.18 and has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, and Cincinnati Reds.
He has accumulated just 0.4 bWAR in his career, and has a record of 26-41 across all seasons.
Yankees turn to Luke Weaver amid injury rush
The New York Yankees are running out of pitchers. Jonathan Loaisiga went on the Injured List. Luis Severino is out for the season, as is Cortes. Carlos Rodon is barely healthy.
The Yankees traded away Jordan Montgomery at the deadline last year. Frankie Montas, last year's trade reward from the Oakland Athletics, hasn't pitched all year. There are very few arms remaining in the Yankees clubhouse.
They're not in the playoff race, but they still have a month of baseball left to play. With new rules, position players can't really pitch much, so they need arms to get through each game.
Luke Weaver is a final resort, but he should be able to eat up some innings and help the team get to the finish line this year.