Ex-Giants Pitcher Opts Out of Yankees’ Deal, Signs With NL Contender originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It’s been an unfortunate week for pitcher news across the MLB. Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Burnes and Detroit Tigers’ Jackson Jobe are set to undergo Tommy John surgery, while the New York Mets just placed Kodai Senga on the injured list – creating opportunities for other arms around the league.
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One veteran pitcher might be on the brink of getting another chance at the big league level.
Long-time MLB pitcher Anthony DeSclafani has drawn headlines after the interesting move he made, opting out of a contract with one team to join another.
DeSclafani, 35, signed with the New York Yankees earlier this season and has been playing Triple-A baseball for the Yankees’ affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
After making just five starts in the minors, he’s put up stat lines of a 4.50 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP while striking out 20 batters in 20 innings pitched.
He hasn’t seen the mound in the big leagues since 2023, but today DeSclafani opted out of his contract with the Yankees to sign a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The move seems to be sparked by the declining Diamondbacks rotation, after Corbin Burnes is set to miss the rest of 2025, and the rest of Arizona’s rotation is struggling to put together good outings.
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Now, for DeSclafani, it seems that he’s moving on to a different team in hopes of a better opportunity to get back to the major league level.
It’s unclear where Anthony DeSclafani will make his debut with his new organization. He could start with the Triple-A Reno Aces or possibly join the Diamondbacks right away for their three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.