The Yankees’ latest under-the-radar pitching addition fits a familiar mold: a veteran with swing and miss stuff, a track record in high leverage roles, and just enough volatility to land on a minor-league deal. Right-hander Rafael Montero, signed to a minor league contract last night, enters spring training as a potential depth arm with the tools to carve out a role in the Bronx.
At 35 years old, Montero is no longer the dominant setup man he was during Houston’s 2022 championship run. But the underlying metrics from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant still paint the picture of a power arm capable of missing bats, the exact type of profile the Yankees have targeted in recent bullpen builds.
From Championship Setup Man to Bounce-Back Candidate
Montero’s career has been a study in reinvention. Originally a starter with the Mets, he bounced around the league before finding his footing in Houston as a high octane reliever. His breakout came in 2022, when he posted elite late inning numbers and earned a three-year extension.
Since then, the results have been more uneven.
Montero logged a 4.70 ERA over 38.1 innings in 2024. He followed that with a 4.48 ERA across 60.1 innings in 2025, splitting time between Houston, Atlanta, and Detroit.
The encouraging sign: the strikeouts returned. Montero produced roughly a 23% strikeout rate in 2025, slightly above league average.
The concern: command. His walk rate hovered near 15%, one of the higher marks among MLB relievers.
That combination, swing and miss stuff paired with erratic control, has defined his recent seasons.
Pitch Mix and Statcast Profile
Montero remains a power-oriented reliever with a four-pitch arsenal built around mid-90s velocity and two bat-missing secondaries.
Four-Seam Fastball
- Avg. velocity: ~95.1 mph
- Spin: ~2385 rpm
Sinker
- Avg. velocity: ~95.0 mph
- Spin: ~2300 rpm
Slider
- Avg. velocity: ~85.1 mph
- Spin: ~2391 rpm
Splitter
- Avg. velocity: ~87.9 mph
- Spin: ~1618 rpm
The splitter is the key development. Introduced more prominently in 2025, it became his primary off speed weapon against left-handed hitters and helped drive the rebound in strikeout rate.
While his fastball velocity has dipped slightly from the mid-96 mph range at his peak, it still sits comfortably in the mid-90s which is enough to support a swing-and-miss approach when paired with his slider and splitter.
Projected Role with the Yankees
Given the Yankees’ bullpen hierarchy, Montero projects as a middle innings or matchup reliever entering 2026.
Most likely uses:
- Sixth or seventh inning bridge arm
- Multi-inning relief option
- Matchup weapon against left-handed hitters thanks to the splitter
If the Yankees’ pitching development group can help him trim the walk rate, even modestly, the underlying strikeout ability suggests there’s still a useful bullpen arm here.
The Yankees’ Calculated Bet
This signing fits a familiar organizational philosophy: target experienced power arms with strong underlying metrics and trust the pitching infrastructure to unlock value.
Montero still throws mid-90s, still generates whiffs, and now features a splitter that gives him a weapon against both sides of the plate. For a minor league commitment, that’s a worthwhile gamble.
If the command improves, he could evolve into a reliable middle-to-late-inning option. If not, he provides veteran depth at minimal cost, exactly the type of move contenders make to protect the bullpen over a long season. In either scenario, Rafael Montero enters 2026 as a quietly intriguing arm in the Yankees’ relief mix.
Comments are closed