A familiar face is returning to the Yankees while their new star closer heads to the paternity list.
The Yanks announced Tuesday morning that Adam Ottavino has been signed to a major-league contract and added to the active roster, while Devin Williams will have some time off with the birth of his child.
In addition, JT Brubaker was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Ottavino, 39, pitched for the Yankees for two seasons in 2019 and 2020, posting a 2.76 ERA in that span. He struggled down the stretch of 2019 after putting together an overall stellar season (a career-best 1.90 ERA) and his troubles continued in 2020 before he was traded to the Red Sox. He then signed with the Mets prior to the 2022 season, and responded with a 2.06 ERA in 66 appearances. Last season, the righty pitched to a 4.34 ERA in 60 appearances, the seventh straight year that he appeared in at least 60 games (excluding the shortened 2020 season).
Ottavino still boasted some strikeout stuff in 2024, posting an 11.3 K/9 compared to his 10.4 career average. But control has been an issue at times, posting a BB/9 over 5.0 twice since his first season in pinstripes.