The Yankees continue to acquire depth ahead of Spring Training, making a pair of additions to their 40-man roster on Wednesday.
First, New York claimed infielder Braden Shewmake off waivers from Kansas City. Then, the Yanks claimed right-hander Owen White off waivers from Cincinnati, while designating righty Allan Winans for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster, which is now full.
Both players are set to head to big league camp in Tampa, Fla., where they’ll be joined by a group of 26 non-roster invitees who were announced Wednesday. The first workout for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 12, followed by the first full-squad workout on Feb. 17.
Shewmake, a 2019 first-round Draft pick by Atlanta, is a versatile infielder with experience at second base, third base and shortstop. The 27-year-old got his first taste of the Majors in ‘23 -- going 0-for-4 over two games with the Braves -- then he was dealt to the White Sox as part of the Aaron Bummer trade last offseason.
Last year, Shewmake played 29 games for Chicago, hitting .125 (8-for-64) with two doubles, one home run, four RBIs and five stolen bases. The left-handed hitter appeared in only 39 total games across the Majors and Minors in 2024, as he missed time due to injuries.
Shewmake was once a top prospect for Atlanta, ranked No. 6 in the Braves’ system by MLB Pipeline at the end of the 2023 season.
White, meanwhile, is a former Top 100 prospect who finished the 2023 season at No. 66 in MLB Pipeline’s rankings when he was in the Rangers’ system. The 25-year-old right-hander made five relief appearances for Texas over the past two seasons, recording a 16.71 ERA in seven innings.
On Dec. 20, White was DFA’d by the Rangers. He was claimed by the Reds on Jan. 6, then got DFA’d again on Jan. 29. Now, the Yankees are taking a flier on the 2018 second-round Draft pick.
White spent most of last season at Triple-A Round Rock, where he posted a 5.64 ERA in 29 games (15 starts). He has had better results at the lower levels of the Minors, as he owns a 3.23 ERA in 16 starts at Double-A, a 3.99 ERA in 11 outings at High-A and a 3.24 ERA in eight starts at Single-A.
In White’s limited big league experience, he’s been tracked by Baseball Savant as having thrown seven different pitches -- a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, cutter, changeup, sweeper and sinker. However, he relies mostly on his four-seamer, which sits around 94 mph.