Yankees Sign Reliever Cole Kimball to Minor League Deal

MELBOURNE, Fla. — The Yankees have signed minor league pitchers Cole Kimball to a minor league deal, and, though unofficial, it should come with an invite to major league spring training, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

Should Kimball be coming to camp, the Yankees will have 27 non-roster players in Tampa when they begin official workouts next weekend.

Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Kimball, 28, was drafted in the 12th round of the 2006 draft by the Washington Nationals out of New Jersey, and in 2011, he made his way up to being the Nationals’ 8th ranked prospect on MLB.com, getting to the majors that year and pitching to a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings across 12 games.

But he had to undergo rotator cuff surgery and has only thrown 49 innings since then.

He spent last season in Triple-A for the Nationals, finishing with an 8.06 ERA in 25.2 innings, striking out 25 and walking 14.

“Before he got hurt, Kimball attacked hitters with a heavy 93-97 mph fastball, a swing-and-miss splitter in the mid-80s and a power curveball in the low 80s. He can throw the curve for strikes or bury it as a chase pitch,” wrote Baseball America in their 2012 Prospect Handbook.

If he is able to get back to the level of where he was before the surgery, then he could have a good chance of making the Yankees’ bullpen out of spring training, and could be a reliable arm this season.

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