The Yankees have announced that Phil Bickford is rejoining the team on a new Major League contract and has been added to the active roster. To make room for him, right-hander Michael Tonkin has been designated for assignment.
Bickford originally signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal in April. After being promoted to the big leagues in late June, he struggled with a 14.40 ERA in five innings across five appearances before being designated for assignment. Following his clearance from waivers in July, Bickford chose free agency over an outright assignment to Triple-A. He is now returning to the Yankees after spending just under eight weeks as a free agent.
Bickford, a five-season MLB veteran, had his best year in 2021 with a 2.81 ERA over 51 1/3 innings with the Brewers and Dodgers. Since then, his ERA has risen to 5.20 over 133 1/3 innings with the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, accompanied by a 25.3% strikeout rate and a 9.3% walk rate.
Although Bickford’s recent MLB performance has been lackluster, his solid showing at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate this season prompted the team to offer him a guaranteed deal. Since he is out of minor league options, he would need to be designated for assignment if the Yankees want to move him back to Triple-A.
The decision to replace Tonkin with Bickford may seem surprising at first. Tonkin has a respectable 3.38 ERA, a 24.6% strikeout rate, and a 9.1% walk rate over 56 innings this season. However, he has struggled recently with a 9.39 ERA in his last 7 2/3 innings and has allowed multiple runs in three of his last five appearances, including two runs in 1 2/3 innings during Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the Rockies. This move might be an attempt to bring in Bickford’s fresher arm.
Tonkin, like Bickford, is also out of minor league options. He signed a $1M split contract with the Mets in the offseason, was DFA’d and subsequently claimed by the Twins, then returned to the Mets before being claimed by the Yankees. With his recent designation for assignment, if he clears waivers, he can choose free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A, though this would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.
Leave a Reply