New York Yankees Sign Reliever Despite Recent Elbow Surgery

The New York Yankees have beefed up their bullpen with the addition of a former Cincinnati Reds reliever who was lights-out in 2021. That's the good news. The bad news is that he's recovering from elbow surgery.

Former Reds reliever Art Warren, who had surgery on his elbow in September, is headed to the Yankees on a minor league deal.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) December 14, 2022

Art Warren was DFA'd by the Reds last month, and has agreed to a minor league deal with the Yankees, though his readiness for spring training or the start of the season is still in question.

The 29-year-old underwent surgery in September to repair UCL damage in his elbow, but the procedure didn’t involve ligament replacement so was not classified as Tommy John surgery, and shouldn't have anywhere near the same kind of recovery timeline. 

Before the injury, it was a disaster of a season for Warren, as he posted a miserable 6.50 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with 40 strikeouts over 36 innings. It's certainly possible that the elbow problem was contributing to that. 

In 2021, Warren was one of the bright lights of the otherwise weak Reds bullpen, as he recorded a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings, allowing just 11 hits while striking out a remarkable 34 batters for an eye-popping 14.6 K/9. 

The Yankees are obviously hoping he can return to something close to that form once he recovers from his surgery. 

Photo: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports