IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... COLTEN BREWER EVERYONE

The Yankees are calling up a familiar face—or at least one you might vaguely remember from your baseball trivia nights. Colten Brewer, the 32-year-old reliever with a passport that reads “Journeyman,” is rejoining the Yankees on a minor league deal. 

Grab your popcorn, folks—this career has been a ride.

Let’s rewind to the start of Brewer’s saga. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he never threw a pitch for them in the majors. Then came the Yankees, who snagged him in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft. Did he pitch for them? Nope. Like a plot twist in a Netflix drama, Brewer finally made his big-league debut—not in Pittsburgh, not in New York, but in sunny San Diego in 2018. Over 9.2 innings with the Padres, he posted a 5.59 ERA. Not exactly Hall of Fame numbers, but hey, every hero starts somewhere.

Fast-forward to 2023, and Brewer finally donned Yankee pinstripes for three games. He delivered 8.1 innings with a 4.32 ERA, four strikeouts, and three walks—just enough to remind us he existed before jetting off to Japan to pitch for the Hanshin Tigers. Brewer didn’t just vanish; he leveled up in the anime arc of his career.

By 2024, Brewer was back stateside, giving it a go with the Chicago Cubs. Unfortunately, his time in Wrigleyville didn’t have a fairy tale ending. But don’t count him out just yet—Brewer is now poised for another Bronx chapter.

Why bring him back? Why not? Stockpiling arms is baseball’s equivalent of keeping spare batteries around: you don’t know when you’ll need them, but you’ll be glad you have them. And maybe—just maybe—Brewer’s got a little magic left in that arm.

Colten Brewer’s career is less about smooth sailing and more about resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to keep chasing the dream. Whether he becomes a key bullpen piece or just another interesting chapter in Yankees lore, one thing’s for sure—he’s earned our curiosity. 

Welcome back, Colten. Let’s see where this wild ride takes us next.

YANKS SHOW NO PATIENCE, MAKE A CUT & IT'S NOT WHO YOU THINK

Baseball is brutal sometimes. You go out there and you fail, most likely you could be demoted. Sometimes they give you another shot, sometimes they don't. Just a few short days ago Suzie Pinstripe wrote COULD JHONY BRITO BE THE YANKEES FIFTH STARTER?

It was a great question at the time. In it she simply wrote:

"The Yankees can't only win on days when Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes pitch. They need more from their starting and closing rotations and that more very much might be gritty 25-year-old Jhony Brito."

At the time, it just made sense and still does. One bad outing should not cut a guy like Brito, but what happened next really was strange. Colten Brewer replaced Brito and gave up 2 homers right away.  And Empire Sports Media writes:

"The New York Yankees were forced to make a few bullpen moves following Jhony Brito’s tough performance on Thursday evening. Brito couldn’t get out of the first inning, allowing seven runs before relief pitcher Colten Brewer took over, immediately giving up two homers himself.

It’s interesting to think that Brito’s dud may have ultimately lost Brewer his job since management needed a rested bullpen piece to help smooth things over on Friday.

Unfortunately for Brewer, this was the end of his tenure in New York unless he manages to clear waivers and land on the Triple-A squad.

Brewer was designated for assignment on Friday afternoon, and without any minor league options left, the team had no choice but to move on without him."

As they say, "I didn't see that one coming."

And so it looks that Brewer's gone. And so what happens next?

ESM writes:

"...to replace Brewer on the roster, the Yankees called up Greg Weissert, one of their top young arms looking to find a home at the MLB level.

At 28 years old, Weissert pitched 11.1 innings for the Yankees last season, hosting a 5.56 ERA but didn’t give up a single run across his final four appearances."

The Yankees are not exactly lighting it up so far in April.  I actually think that making quick moves to improve things immediately is a silly tactic, but these are the Yankees and every year Hal says he believes we have the team to win a championship. But let's keep it real... we don't.

I really hope this helps; I do. In the meantime, good luck to Brewer. I hope everything works out for him.