According to the skipper, that player to watch is left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek.
“Matzek,” Boone told the Foul Territory hosts when asked about Yankees players to watch this spring. “He looks a lot like, a few years ago Atlanta Braves Tyler Matzek.”
The Yankees signed Matzek to a minor league deal back in February.
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The 34-year-old veteran Matzek was drafted in 2009 by the Colorado Rockies. Matzek appeared in 25 games at the big-league level for the Rockies in 2014 and 2015, and that would be his last time in the majors for several seasons.
The Atlanta Braves used Matzek in 21 games out of the bullpen in 2020, when he maintained a sterling 1.92 FIP with 43 strikeouts in just 29 innings. The lefty Matzek was a vital piece of Atlanta’s bullpen during their 2021 World Series championship season. In 69 relief appearances in 2021, the former first-round pick posted a 1.22 WHIP with an 11.0 K/9 rate. The 2021 season was, by no short margin, Matzek’s best year in the majors thus far.
The California native followed with a 3.50 ERA in 42 outings in 2022 before missing the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. The southpaw was shelved for the majority of the 2024 season with elbow inflammation — not something you want to see from a recent Tommy John patient.
The seasoned Matzek is not currently on the Yankees’ 40-man roster. It would likely take an injury or a particularly stellar spring to get Matzek on the roster. The Yankees traded for closer Devin Williams, and he headlines the Bronx bullpen. Luke Weaver and Tim Hill are returning cast members, and Marcus Stroman may have a bullpen spot as well.
Josey Curtis is an avid sports fan, with passions for MLB, the NFL, and college basketball. Josey has been writing about sports since middle school, including a seven-year stint at SB Nation. She also interned as a Baseball Video Scout at Sports Info Solutions.
