As a corresponding move to the Yankees activating Elmer Rodriguez ahead of tonight’s game, in which he will be the starting pitcher, the Yankees have optioned right-handed relief pitcher Bradley Hanner back to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Hanner is 29 years old, listed at 6’4 210 lbs. The journeyman right-hander has been in professional baseball for seven years, originally being drafted in the 21st round (629th) overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 2019 MLB Draft. The Yankees called up Hanner two weeks ago, on August 12th, when he made his Major League Debut on Friday, August 14th against the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching one inning on one hit, one earned run, a solo home run to Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Hanner, however, has struggled, and not just in his first major league game. In three appearances (four innings), he’s allowed three runs, two home runs, and struck out six batters. In 40 games this year at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Hanner compiled a 2.10 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched. Hanner pitched last year in Cleveland’s farm system.
Hanner’s Journey In Professional Baseball
With the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Guardians‘ Triple-A affiliate in 2025, Hanner posted a 4.74 ERA over 49.1 innings. The Yankees then signed Hanner as a minor-league free agent on December 16th this past offseason, per his player transaction logs. This was not a very surprising move, considering Hanner’s struggles in his brief appearances at the major league level thus far.
As for the Yankees bullpen, they signed Michael Fulmer today, placed Fernando Cruz on the 15-day injured list with what was reported by the team as “right elbow discomfort,” and currently, the Yankees are waiting for more bullpen reinforcements in pitchers Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, and Ryan Weathers, two of whom, Gil and Schmidt, are currently still rehabbing.
Yankees Pitching Injuries Piling Up
The Yankees are also waiting for Fried to return from the injured list, so things have been shaky of late on the pitching front, with injuries to starting pitchers and bullpen guys. Maybe Hanner becomes a depth option/factor later on in the year. Still, for the time being, the Yankees will now turn to Michael Fulmer, who previously won the American League Rookie of the Year back in 2016 as a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
As for Bradley Hanner, he throws primarily three pitches: a four-seam sinker and a sweeper, per Baseball Savant. He was getting a lot of swing and miss with those six strikeouts (33.3%) K rate in that four-game span, but he also gave up a lot of hard contact, with an average exit velocity of 96.8 mph against him, according to Baseball Savant. The 27-year-old Hanner will now go back to the minor leagues and work towards becoming a potential factor out of the Yankees’ bullpen again. With the Yankees’ bullpen and pitching depth wearing thin because of these injuries, and the addition of zero new relievers at the deadline, anything seems possible at this point during the season as we approach October.
Yankees’ Option Reliever Bradley Hanner To Triple A