Sources: Yanks add Matzek with minor-league deal

• Jorge CastilloFeb 10, 2025, 09:46 PM ET

  Close

  ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

The New York Yankees and veteran reliever Tyler Matzek have agreed on a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, sources told ESPN Monday night, adding another experienced left-hander to the bullpen mix on the eve of camp after the team officially re-signed Tim Hill over the weekend.

A top-shelf reliever over three seasons for the Atlanta Braves, including during their 2021 World Series run, injuries have limited the 34-year-old Matzek to 11 appearances over the last two years.

The former first-round pick missed the entire 2023 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2022. He returned to post a 9.90 ERA in 10 innings over 11 games through May 4 last year before he was placed on the injured list and didn’t appear in another game.

Atlanta traded Matzek to the San Francisco Giants in July to offset salary in a deal for outfielder Jorge Soler. He was released a month later and re-signed by the Braves on a minor-league deal, pitching in four games for the organization’s Triple-A affiliate before he reached free agency.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Between 2020 and 2022, after overcoming a case of the yips with the Colorado Rockies that pushed him to independent league baseball for two seasons, Matzek recorded a 2.92 ERA in 132 games as a key piece in the Braves’ bullpen.

While Hill, who signed a one-year, $2.85 million contract after a strong 2024 season, is a groundball specialist from the left side, Matzek missed bats at a high rate when healthy, recording a 27.4% strikeout rate from 2020 through 2022 with a fastball in the mid-90s.

Hill remains the only left-handed reliever on the Yankees’ 40-man roster. Brandon Leibrandt and Jayvien Sandridges are the other lefties slated to report to spring training as non-roster invitees.

Source