When the Yankees signed Jon Niese to a minor league deal just before Spring Training, the decision was seemingly low-risk. Niese, a southpaw, split time with both the Pirates and Mets last season before becoming a free agent. He struggled quite significantly last season with both teams, which is why he was only able to get a minor league deal out of the Yankees.
He continued to struggle in Spring Training. In 6 games, he has an ERA of 4.50 with just six innings pitched in those games. It was evident he was not going to make the cut as a starting pitcher, but it seems like he wasn’t going to make the Yankees’ bullpen either.