NEW YORK -- After spending a week in what he described as ¡°no man¡¯s land,¡± Adam Ottavino landed in a familiar place on Tuesday, signing a Major League contract to rejoin the Yankees.
The 39-year-old Ottavino, who previously pitched for the Bombers in 2019 and ¡¯20, was added to the active roster as right-handed closer Devin Williams was placed on the paternity list.
¡°It¡¯s thrilling and really exciting,¡± Ottavino said. ¡°This is a team that I obviously love. I have a lot of love for everybody in here. I¡¯m just excited and feeling lucky.¡±
Ottavino spent this spring with the Red Sox, allowing six runs in five innings (10.80 ERA) before opting out of his Minor League contract on March 23. He said he then worked out at Eric Cressey¡¯s facility in Jupiter, Fla., where he was throwing to hitters.
¡°That was really useful to me. Otherwise, it would have been pretty tricky this past week,¡± Ottavino said. ¡°My thought process was that I felt like I was a Major League pitcher, just looking for the right opportunity. I didn¡¯t want to go to Triple-A and be somebody¡¯s backup plan.¡±
Though Ottavino painted his return as a cause-and-effect of Williams¡¯ absence, it is possible he could stick around longer.
The Yanks' bullpen was not dented as significantly as the rotation this spring, but they are dealing with injuries to Ian Hamilton (building stamina after viral infection), Jonathan Lo¨¢isiga (rehab from Tommy John surgery), Tyler Matzek (right oblique strain) and Scott Effross (left hamstring strain), among others.
¡°I think he¡¯s got a lot left in there,¡± manager Aaron Boone said of Ottavino. ¡°He¡¯s still been very effective, really, throughout his entire career. When we first got him, we brought him in to be that kind of righty killer, high-leverage setup [reliever]. He delivered on that. And obviously, he¡¯s very familiar with what it takes to play here.¡±
A Manhattan native, Ottavino spent the past three seasons across town with the Mets. Last year, he pitched to a 4.34 ERA across 60 appearances, limiting opposing right-handed batters to a .199/.278/.257 (27-for-136) slash line. Ottavino also stranded 15 of his 20 inherited runners last season.
The first player in franchise history to wear No. 0 during his first stint with the Yankees, Ottavino was issued No. 58, with Marcus Stroman having since claimed No. 0. That¡¯s fine with Ottavino, who said he¡¯s trying not to look past today¡¯s game.
¡°Tomorrow is never guaranteed in baseball,¡± Ottavino said. ¡°I¡¯ve never played like it was.¡±