The New York Yankees are set to open a three-game homestand against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, and they appear ready to add another arm to the bullpen before first pitch.
According to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the club plans to call up right-handed reliever Justin Topa, a 35-year-old pitcher they signed to a minor-league contract earlier this month.
Topa joined the organization on Aug. 14 after a winding season that saw him bounce among three other clubs. He spent a brief stretch with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing just one earned run on five hits and one walk over five innings in four appearances.
Those outings were part of a stronger overall minor-league body of work this year: a 1.75 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings across Triple-A.
His 2026 major-league chapter began with the Minnesota Twins, where he posted an 8.05 ERA in 19 innings before being designated for assignment on May 19.
After clearing waivers and being released, he signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on May 30. Toronto let him go on July 4 without giving him a big-league appearance.
The Kansas City Royals then picked him up on July 7, only to release him on Aug. 9, again without a major-league outing. That sequence opened the door for New York.
Topa first reached the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020 and stayed there through 2022, compiling an 8.35 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. Milwaukee later traded him to the Seattle Mariners for right-hander Joseph Hernandez.
The 2023 season in Seattle marked his best work, a 2.61 ERA across 69 innings. After that year the Mariners sent him to Minnesota as part of the Jorge Polanco trade.
Injury limited him to three games in 2024. He returned in 2025 to throw 60 innings for the Twins with a 3.90 ERA.
Over his seven-year big-league career Topa has a 4.27 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 168 2/3 innings. The Yankees are betting that the veteran sinker-slider reliever can stabilize late innings against a familiar American League West opponent.
Whether he makes the roster official before Tuesday’s 7:05 p.m. EDT first pitch remains a formality, but the intent is clear: New York wants another experienced option available as it hosts Houston.
