The New York Yankees remain locked in a close battle with the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot in the American League East.
This weekend, they are facing the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series. After opening the set with a victory on Friday, New York will look to keep the momentum going in Saturday night’s matchup.
Meanwhile, during the series, a former Yankees pitcher—who was recently released by the organization—found a new opportunity after signing with another Major League Baseball team.
Per reports from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Peter Strzelecki has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on a minor league deal.
Peter Strzelecki is familiar with the NL Central, as he’s pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers in his MLB career. He was also brought back to the Brewers system this season before getting cut. He’s been cut twice this year.Â
On June 18, per Peter Strzelecki’s MLB.com transactions page, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees released the 31-year-old from their organization.Â
On July 22, he was released from the Brewers organization.
MLBTR.com’s Mark Polishuk quickly hit the news of the recent signing, and he wrote (on July 25):
“Strzelecki has a 4.06 ERA and a very strong 28.6% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate over 31 combined innings with the Brewersâ and Yankeesâ Triple-A clubs in 2026. A .325 BABIP and 14.3% home run rate provide some context for why Strzeleckiâs ERA doesnât match his impressive peripherals, and his lack of minor league options limit his flexibility in being easily added or removed from a 26-man roster.”
Peter Strzelecki’s MLB Career
Peter Strzelecki has pitched in parts of three MLB seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cleveland Guardians.Â
He was a bit of a late bloomer in MLB who did not make his Majors debut until age 27.
Over 83.2 total career innings, he’s posted an ERA of 3.44 with 86 SO.
His last MLB action came in 2024 with Cleveland. He boasted a 2.31 ERA over 11+ innings, which makes it a bit unclear why he’s been MIA for a couple of years now. Perhaps injuries, or the fact the organizations he was a part of have not needed pitching, but all of Strzelecki’s pitching in the past two seasons have come in the minors
