By Joiner Martínez
Aaron Boone, manager of the New York Yankees, is defining the positions that his players will have in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Season.
Boone has to prepare not only his lineup and his rotation but also the rest of the pitching staff. That is why the manager would have already defined who will be the closer of the Broxn team in the upcoming campaign.
When asked about Clay Holmes’ place on the team, he commented: “He is our closer. We need him to be great so that we can be as we expect as a team. That is our expectation for him. He knows. He is one of the relievers with real dynamism in the game, especially when he gets hot, as we have seen over the last few years.”
Holmes began last season combining closing duties with work in the seventh and eighth innings. However, all but two of his 28 outings after the All-Star break came in the ninth inning or later.
The right-hander could easily surpass his career-high 24 saves he accumulated last season if he remains in that role throughout the season.
Clay Holmes arrived from Pittsburgh
The New York Yankees acquired right-handed reliever Clay Holmes from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league infielders Diego Castillo and Hoy Park.
Holmes went 3-2 with a 4.93 ERA in 44 relief appearances with the Pirates in 2024. In four seasons with Pittsburgh, he is 5-7 with a 5.57 ERA in 91 games, including four starts.
Park appeared in one game with the Yankees, on July 16 against the Boston Red Sox. He had a .307 batting average, along with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Castillo hit .277 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs for Somerset.
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