The New York Yankees released left-hander Kevin Centeno on Nov. 3, cutting ties with a pitcher who struck out 81 batters in 55 innings.
Centeno piled up strikeouts at a rapid clip in his first season, yet his walk rate climbed sharply in his second.
Centeno, a left-hander born in Quibor, Venezuela, turned 20 in February and stands 6-foot-2 and 189 pounds. The Yankees signed him on Jan. 23, 2025, to a minor league contract as an undrafted international free agent out of Venezuela. He was one of several Venezuelan pitchers signed that day, along with left-handers Andre Avila and Luis Rodriguez.
His signing bonus was never publicly reported. The Yankees assigned him to the DSL NYY Yankees on Feb. 5, 2025, then moved him to the DSL NYY Bombers on May 31, 2025. He never advanced beyond the Dominican Summer League.
New York Yankees Release Kevin Centeno Among Nine Players
The Yankees released nine players from the organization Tuesday, all from the Dominican Summer League rosters. Outfielder Richard Meran, left-hander Ronald Tejada and catcher John Rosillo were among them. Outfielder Eliezer Adames, who signed on Jan. 24, 2025, one day after Centeno, also was cut.
The Bombers released Franklin Corniel on Nov. 4, 2023, and Daniel Salas the same day, both right-handers first assigned to the Dominican Summer League in 2021.
Cuts at that level follow the end of the league’s season and open space for incoming signees. The Yankees opened the 2026 international signing period in January with two shortstops and three catchers, and a new class of signees arrives every year to fill the lowest rungs of the system.
Kevin Centeno’s Strikeout and Walk Numbers
In 2025, Centeno went 3-1 with a 4.59 ERA in 18 games, one of them a start, and struck out 53 in 33 1/3 innings. He also walked 23, hit nine batters and threw nine wild pitches.
The 2026 season went differently. Working only in relief, Centeno went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 11 games, striking out 28 and walking 23 in 21 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate fell from 34.6 percent to 26.9 percent, while his walk rate rose from 15 percent to 22.1 percent. His walks per nine innings climbed from 6.2 to 9.6, and his strikeouts per nine dropped from 14.3 to 11.6.
Ratings on The Baseball Cube score his strikeouts at 99 and his walks at 24. No public scouting report on his fastball velocity or secondary pitches has surfaced, and Centeno wasn’t around long enough to appear on prospect rankings.
Across 29 career appearances, 28 of them in relief, Centeno walked 46 batters, hit 13 and threw 16 wild pitches against his 81 strikeouts. He posted a 4.91 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP.
The Dominican Summer League serves as the entry point for international signees, and Centeno spent both of his professional seasons there without a promotion to stateside complex ball. His strikeout totals were the strongest part of his record. His walk and wild-pitch totals grew in the same span.
Centeno, 20, is now free to sign with another organization. Whether a club values the strikeouts more than the walks is the question he takes into the offseason.
Yankees Suddenly Cut Ties With 20-Year-Old Lefty Strikeout Pitcher