The Rockies have designated left-hander Yoan Aybar for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder/third baseman Kris Bryant, whose seven-year contract with the Rox has now been officially announced.
Aybar got his start in the Red Sox system as an outfielder but didn’t hit much. That led Boston to try him out on the mound, beginning in 2018. After a decent showing that year, he had an impressive season in 2019. Over 56 2/3 innings at A-ball and High-A, his 4.61 ERA wasn’t great, nor was his 16.2% walk rate. However, he racked up strikeouts at a 27.7% rate, showing enough promise for the Red Sox to add him to their 40-man roster after that season.
After the minor leagues were canceled due to the pandemic in 2020, he was sent to Colorado in a minor trade. In Double-A last year, he still got decent strikeout numbers at a 23.7% rate, but the walks were still high at 14.7% and his ERA shot up to 6.22.
Despite that rough season, there are reasons he could draw interest from other clubs. He’s still just 24 and has one option year remaining. Given that he’s only really been committed to pitching for four years, with one of those being wiped out by the pandemic, it’s possible a team could believe that there’s still a quality pitcher there, after smoothing out some of the rough edges.
