Yankees acquire lefty specialist Outman from Indians

CHICAGO -- The Yankees added a layer of specialization to their bullpen on Thursday, acquiring left-hander Josh Outman from the Indians in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations.

Outman opened this season as a member of Cleveland's bullpen, but was designated for assignment in June and sent outright to Triple-A Columbus. At both the Major League and Minor League levels, the lefty has performed well against left-handed batters.

Lefties have been an issue overall for the Yankees, whose left-handed relievers (David Huff and Matt Thornton have occupied the bulk of the innings) have combined for a .274 opponents' average against left-handed batters. Outman, who will join New York's Major League staff, has limited lefties to a .188 average across his six-year career in the big leagues.

In 31 games for Cleveland earlier this season, the 29-year-old Outman went 4-0 with a 3.28 ERA in 24 2/3 innings, during which he had 24 strikeouts, 16 walks and a 1.54 ERA. With lefties Marc Rzepczynski, Nick Hagadone and Kyle Crockett in the fold, Outman became the odd-man out and was demoted to Triple-A on June 25.

With Columbus, Outman turned in a 4.43 ERA in 23 games, but he held left-handed hitters to a .189 average in that span. With the Indians, the lefty reliever had a .180 opponents' average (.673 OPS) against left-handed batters, compared to a .295 opponents' average (.927 OPS) against right-handed hitters.

Across 152 career games in the Majors, Outman has turned in a 4.49 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP between stints with the A's, Rockies and Indians. Cleveland originally acquired Outman last offseason in a one-for-one swap with Colorado that sent outfielder Drew Stubbs to the Rockies.