Roster Update: Betances & Nuno Make 25-Man Roster

Mar 9, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher

(68) against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees announced today that pitchers Dellin Betances and Vidal Nuno have officially been added to the 25-man roster. After many years of trying to make the big leagues, Betances, a righty who stands at 6’8″, put up a spectacular spring training as he pitched to a 0.73 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12.1 innings of work. The 26-year-old will surely be an imposing figure on the mound when he comes in for relief. Nuno is a lefty who pitched very well in the spring while he competed against Michael Pineda and others for the 5th spot in the starting rotation and will now join Matt Thornton as the bullpen’s two left-handed pitchers. He beat out early spring favorite, Cesar Cabral for the role of the pen’s second lefty.

Nuno and Betances will be joining Thornton, David Phelps, Adam Warren and Shawn Kelley as the Yankees try and build a strong bridge from the starting pitchers to their closer, David Robertson. A two-lefty bullpen is a luxury for a team and Nuno is a very flexible pitcher and may be called upon quite a bit if the aging Matt Thornton struggles. Nuno made a few spot starts in 2013 and was surprisingly very effective. Betances was once one of the Yankees’ most prominent starting pitching prospects but struggled fiercely at Triple-A which prompted the Yankees to move him to the bullpen where he finally found his stuff. After a tremendous spring training, the Yankees and their fans are hoping that he does the same in the Major Leagues in 2o14. With Nuno staying with the club, Cabral will more than likely be headed to the minors. If needed, he’ll be called up to join the team during the season.