Yankees Sign Ex-Cardinal Tyler Lyons to Minor League Deal
By Michael Luciano
The ever-changing Yankees pitching staff has added a new member, as a former stud reliever looks to resurrect his career in Scranton.
The Yankees agreed to a deal with left-handed reliever Tyler Lyons, who spent six years on the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched in three games with the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, but could only muster a 11.25 ERA.
RailRiders roster updates:
— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) August 15, 2019
- Yankees sign Tyler Lyons to a minor league deal.
- Omar Carrizales released
- David Sosebee, who left yesterday’s game with a trainer, is placed on the injured list
- Mike King joins the RailRiders pic.twitter.com/dwaeno1Bvn
It's been a while since Lyons has been an effective pitcher at the MLB level, but his peak was that of an above-average lefty out of the pen. From 2013 to 2017, Lyons posted a 3.79 ERA, culminating in a 2.83 ERA in 50 games during the 2017 season.
Lyons, who sits in the low 90s with his fastball and features a wipeout slider as his main strikeout pitch, is a worthwhile gamble for the Yankees/RailRiders to take. If he can get back to his 2017 form, look out.
Tyler Lyons didn't last long on the market after being released by the Pirates on Sunday. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees today
— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) August 16, 2019
The Yankees staff has had success with pitchers suffering from Steve Blass disease, and Lyons could be their next reclamation project that makes it back to the bigs.