Kirby Yates
Position: RHP
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 205 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/R
Born: 03/25/1987
College: Yavapai College
Signed: NDFA, 2009 (Rays)
How Acquired: Trade (from Angels)
Bonus: N/A
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: N/A
Overview
The Red Sox drafted Yates out of high school, but he went to college and ultimately signed with the Rays as a non-drafted free agent. He’s spent all or parts of a dozen seasons in the majors and appeared in 503 games, all in relief, as of the time the Pirates acquired him. He’s served as a closer at times, compiling 101 career saves. For most of his career, his fastball sat at 93-94 mph, but by 2026 he was down to about 91. His other pitch, which he currently throws about a third of the time, is a splitter. The pitch gets a sharp drop, although Yates actually misses more bats with the fastball. He’s not especially a flyball or groundball pitcher, and has had trouble with gopher balls at times. He’s had very high K rates for much of his career and usually has had good walk rates. A sidearm thrower, Yates has a moderate platoon split for his career, with left-handed hitters putting up a .701 OPS against him and right-handed hitters .601. The Pirates acquired Yates at the 2026 deadline.
2009-13
Yates moved up through the Rays’ system year by year. He had a 2.39 ERA in 14 relief outings in the Appalachian League in his draft year. In 2010, he had a 3.30 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in a swing role in low A. Yates missed over half the 2011 season with an injury, but he had a 1.62 ERA in 16 relief outings in high A. He fanned 45 and allowed only 14 hits in 33.1 IP. In 2012, in AA, he had a 2.65 ERA in 50 relief outings in AA. He fanned 94 in 68 innings.
In 2013, Yates spent the season in AAA and had a big year. He had a 1.90 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. His BB/9 and K/9 were very good, at 3.4 and 13.6, respectively. The Rays added him to their 40-man roster after the season.
2014-17
In 2014, Yates split the season between AAA and the Rays, 21 and 37 games, respectively. He was pretty much unhittable in AAA, posting a 0.36 ERA. With the Rays he had a 3.75 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. His BB/9 and K/9 were good, at 3.8 10.5, respectively. In 2015, Yates missed some time with an injury and wasn’t effective when he pitched. He had a 5.33 ERA in 23 games in AAA and 7.97 in 20 games with the Rays. After the season, the Rays sent Yates to Cleveland for cash, then in January 2016 Cleveland sent him on to the Yankees, also for cash.
The Yankees sent Yates to AAA for a month and a half at the end of June, but he spent the rest of the season with them. He had a 1.62 ERA in 14 AAA games but 5.23 in 41 games in the majors.
After the 2016 season, the Yankees put Yates on waivers and the Angels claimed him. They outrighted him to AAA in early April, called him back up two and a half weeks later, then put him back on waivers a few days later and the Padres claimed him. In the end, Yates spent most of the season with San Diego, posting a 3.72 ERA in 61 games. His BB/9 and K/9 were impressive, at 3.1 and 14.1, respectively.
2018-22
In 2018-19, Yates was outstanding for the Padres. He had a 2.14 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 65 games the first year, with a BB/9 and K/9 of 2.4 and 12.9, respectively. He was even better in 2019, posting 41 saves to go with 1.19 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. His BB/9 and K/9 were phenomenal at 1.9 and 15.0.
In 2020, Yates ran into injury problems. He went out with elbow inflammation soon after the pandemic season started. He missed the rest of that season, became a free agent afterward, and signed with Toronto. He never pitched for the Jays, nor for anybody else in 2021. Yates became a free agent again after the season and signed with the Braves. At some point during all this he had Tommy John surgery. Yates finally returned for rehab in July 2022, then returned to the majors in mid-August, appearing in nine games with Atlanta.
2023-24
Yates spent 2023 with the Braves and had a strong season, putting up a 3.28 ERA in 61 games. His control was uncharacteristically poor — he walked 5.5 per nine innings — but his K/9 was 11.9. He became a free agent after the season and signed with Texas.
In 2024, Yates had a very similar season to his outstanding 2019 showing. He posted a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 33 saves. His BB/9 was better at 4.1 and he fanned 12.4 per nine innings. Yates became a free agent again after the season and signed with the Dodgers.
2025-26
Yates didn’t have a good season with the Dodgers in 2025. He had several short stints on the injured list and, in 50 games, put up a 5.23 ERA. Gopher balls were a big problem; he allowed nine in 41.1 IP. The Dodgers used him in a lot of brief outings, as he threw just 41.1 IP in 50 games. They may have been trying to keep him away from left-handed hitters, who had a .970 OPS against him. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Angels.
Yates missed the first month of 2026 with right knee inflammation, then appeared in 31 games up through the trade deadline. He still stuck with shorter roles, throwing 27.1 IP. He had a 3.95 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. His BB/9 was 4.0 and his K/9 11.9. The Pirates acquired him at the deadline for Kyle Robinson.
Stats
Transactions
June 8, 2005: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 26th round, 798th overall pick.
June 19, 2009: Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Rays.
November 20, 2013: Contract purchased by the Tampa Bay Rays.
November 25, 2015: Traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Cleveland Indians for cash.
January 8, 2016: Traded by the Cleveland Indians to the New York Yankees for cash.
October 5, 2016: Claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees by the Los Angeles Angels.
April 5, 2017: Outrighted to AAA by the Los Angeles Angels.
April 22, 2017: Called up by the Los Angeles Angels.
April 26, 2017: Claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels by the San Diego Padres.
October 28, 2020: Became a free agent.
January 20, 2021: Signed as a free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays.
November 3, 2021: Became a free agent.
November 29, 2021: Signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Braves.
November 6, 2023: Became a free agent.
December 6, 2023: Signed as a free agent by the Texas Rangers.
October 31, 2024: Became a free agent.
January 30, 2025: Signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
November 2, 2025: Became a free agent.
January 6, 2026: Signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Angels.
August 3, 2026: Traded by the Los Angeles Angels to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Kyle Robinson.