After a brain hemorrhage ended his 2018 season with the White Sox, Danny Farquhar is making a comeback with the New York Yankees.
The New York Yankees added a feel-good element to their crowded bullpen on Monday, signing reliever Danny Farquhar to a minor-league deal.
As usual, Fancred’s Jon Heyman was one of the first to report the move:
Wonderful story: Danny Farquhar is signing a minors deal with Yankees. Farquhar has recovered from life threatening brain hemorrhage suffered early last season while with the White Sox. Great response saved him. Now he is ready to go.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 21, 2019
Farquhar is a 31-year-old righty who has seven years of MLB experience. In that time, he’s posted a decent 3.93 ERA, striking out 309 batters in 272.1 innings. He also has some experience as a closer, as he saved 18 games early in his career.
The Bombers are Farquhar’s fifth MLB team—but he was in the Yankees’ farm system for a few weeks in 2012, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. He started out in Toronto in 2011 and then spent time in Seattle and Tampa Bay before joining the Chicago White Sox in 2017.
In April 2018, Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage in the dugout during a White Sox home game. The scary episode resulted in a two-week hospital stay. The Florida native didn’t get clearance to return to the mound for training until early summer 2018.
[membership level="0"] [/membership]Farquhar joins a team loaded with bullpen talent. Brian Cashman has already grabbed up two of the top free-agent relievers this offseason in Zach Britton and Adam Ottavino. Guys like Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Chad Green, and Jonathan Holder also stand in Farquhar’s way.
Baseball is a grind, though. Even if Farquhar can’t earn a spot on the opening-day roster, he could position himself as the first injury replacement or double-header reinforcement call-up. He could also be a valuable trading chip.
There are only 23 days left before Farquhar reports to spring training with the rest of the pitchers and catchers. Whether he ends up in the Bronx or in Scranton to start the season, he’ll likely just be happy to get back on the field.
