The Yankees announced on Friday that Bronx-born infielder Andrew Velazquez was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels and outfielder Tim Locastro was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.
Velazquez, 27, played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles before signing a minor league deal with the Yanks on Dec. 16, 2020. He was called up to the majors on Aug. 8 and played a crucial role defensively for the team down the stretch. Velazquez batted .224 over 67 at-bats in 28 games with four doubles, a triple, a home run, and six RBI.
Locastro was acquired by the Yankees on July 1 from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league pitcher Keegan Curtis. Locastro only played in nine games with the Yanks, suffering a torn ACL on July 17 after colliding into the wall during a game against the Red Sox. He batted .190 with only four hits, two doubles, a home run, and two RBI over 21 at-bats.
Outfielder Greg Allen was also claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was traded by the San Diego Padres to the Yanks in exchange for James Reeves on Jan. 6 and spent time in the big leagues and with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He played in 15 games for the Yankees, batting .270 (10-for-37) with four doubles, a triple, two RBI, and five stolen bases. Over five seasons with the Indians, Padres and Yankees, he’s batted .241 with 59 RBI, 26 doubles, eight home runs, seven triples, and 37 stolen bases.
Additionally, the Yankees outrighted catcher Rob Brantly off the major league roster and onto the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre roster. He was acquired by the Yanks from the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 26, 2020 for cash considerations, but did not play a game for the organization due to the cancellation of the minor league season. He re-signed with the Yanks in the offseason and was assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Brantly saw action in just six MLB games, going 3-for-20 (.150) with a double and four strikeouts. He’s hit .224 over 411 at-bats in 133 career big league games with the Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Giants.