The Yankees announced that they have claimed pitcher Sam Demel off of waivers from the Astros. To make room for Demel on the 40-man roster, the club designated fellow right-hander Danny Otero for assignment.
Demel, 27, owns a career 4.95 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 72 big league relief appearances with the Diamondbacks from 2010-12. He made just one relief outing last year and spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Reno, where he had a 4.07 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 56 appearances out of the bullpen.
Otero, 28, made 12 relief appearances for the Giants last season. In parts of two seasons at Triple-A, Otero owns a 3.03 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9.
