Here's why the Yankees sent Stephen Ridings back to Triple-A
Yankees relief pitcher Stephen Ridings against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Yankees returned Long Island’s Stephen Ridings to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre late Monday night to make room on the roster for Jordan Montgomery, who was activated off the COVID-19 IL to start Tuesday’s first game vs. the Red Sox.
Ridings, 27, had opened eyes in his first five big-league appearances with a 100-mile per hour fastball, a 1.80 ERA, and seven strikeouts in five innings. So why was he the one chosen to go down?
The answer is procedural.
Since Ridings originally was called up as replacement for a player who went on the COVID IL, he could be returned to Triple-A without being exposed to waivers and becoming available to be claimed by one of the other 29 teams.
The same was true of catcher Rob Brantly. He was returned to Triple-A late Monday to make room for Gary Sanchez, who also was activated off the COVID IL on Tuesday. Neither Ridings nor Brantly count against the Yankees’ 40-man roster, which is currently full.
If the Yankees want to call up Ridings again, they will have to make room on the 40-man roster (unless he comes up again as a replacement for a new player who goes on the COVID IL, which the Yankees hope doesn’t happen).
So, instead of Ridings, the Yankees kept righthander Brody Koerner, who has appeared in one game since being called up on Aug. 1 but is on the 40-man roster. They also kept Nick Nelson, who has an 8.79 ERA in 11 appearances. Thus, they get to keep all three pitchers in the organization.
Ridings grew up in Commack and attended St. Anthony’s High School.
The Yankees used the same calculus when they claimed outfielder Jonathan Davis off waivers from Toronto on Aug. 4 and returned outfielder Greg Allen to Triple-A, even though Allen had given the team a spark as a COVID fill-in. Since Allen was a COVID replacement player, the Yankees got to keep both players in the organization.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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