The Yankees recalled LHP Nestor Cortes Jr. from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and optioned RHP Jake Barnett back to the minors.
Cortes, 24, will likely make his Yankees debut after six years in the minors and a brief stint with the Orioles via the Rule 5 draft.
The Yankees, who transferred reliever Dellin Betances to the 60-day injured list to make room for Cortes on the 40-man roster, lost Cortes' rights in December 2017 when the Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft, but he was returned to the Yankees organization in April 2018 after he was designated for assignment.
A 5-foot-11, 210-pound lefty whom the Yankees drafted in the 36th round in 2013, has a three-pitch arsenal featuring a fastball, change-up and a cutter. He told Pinnstriped Prospects' DJ Eberle he spent time this past offseason turning his slider into a cutter.
"I started having success with back-door cutters/sliders," Cortes said. "In the D.R., I went to work on my craft and I think my changeup has gotten a little better and now it's an actual cutter, not a slider-cutter. I'm able to throw it in now on the hitters to where I can get it in right on the plate, and it's worked so far because I can work it off my fastball."
Cortes has spent most of his minor-league career as a starter. In 114 games (63 starts), he has a 32-22 record and a 2.64 ERA. With Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year, he is 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA in six games (five starts), striking out 34 batters and giving up 17 runs and 28 hits in 33 2/3 innings.
In his most recent start last Friday, Cortes threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts.
He pitched in four MLB games with the Orioles out of the bullpen last year, allowing four runs and 10 hits with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.