Cade Winquest DFA’d without pitching for Yankees

ST. PETERSBURG – Cade Winquest received the call every player dreams about, informing him that he’d made a big league Opening Day roster. He walked into Oracle Park in San Francisco on Opening Night, flashing his credentials at the gate as a bona fide big leaguer.

Then he waited. And watched. And waited some more.

“Even if I don’t get in today, I just want to feel all the emotions out there,” Winquest said just before his Yankees teammates took the field against the Giants on March 25, a made-for-streaming celebration that featured patriotic fireworks and a flyover.

With his family and girlfriend in the stands, Winquest continued to sit through that series in the Bay Area, traveling on to Seattle. Then the right-hander saw another six games in the Bronx, occasionally tossing from a bullpen mound but never actually getting the call to enter a game.

“It didn’t work out the way that we wanted,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “He’s really talented. We like the process that we went through when we selected him. It would’ve been nice to be able to find room to get him into a game. It’s hard when you’re trying to compete and develop at the same time.”

One notable example is Chet Trail, a 20-year-old who was carried by the Yankees on their 1964 World Series roster but never took the field. More recent examples include Daniel Camarena (2019) and Domingo Acevedo (‘21), both of whom had lockers in the Yankees’ clubhouse but never pitched, then went on to debut elsewhere.

As a Rule 5 selection, Winquest must remain on a Major League roster all season or be offered back to the Cardinals for $25,000 if he clears waivers.

Early off-days allowed the Yankees to begin the season with a four-man rotation, squeezing Winquest into what manager Aaron Boone described as “the ninth reliever” spot.

Winquest posted a 7.20 ERA in 10 spring innings. Other relievers in camp, like Kelvin Castro (2.45 ERA in 11 innings), Yerry de los Santos (3.68 ERA in 7 2/3 innings) and Osvaldo Bido (1.29 ERA in seven innings), made stronger cases.

After a 5-0 victory over the Mariners on March 31 in Seattle, Boone said he would have used Winquest if the Yanks had scored another run.

“This was hard for me, because I didn’t want him to not get into a game,” Boone said. “The reality is, he was very close. He didn’t light it on fire in the spring or anything, but a lot of smart people were seeing things and saying, ‘This guy’s got a chance to be really good.’ And we still believe that.”

For a club built to win now, patience is a luxury. The most recent Yankees Rule 5 pick to appear in a big league game was first baseman Josh Phelps, in 2007 – and even he was gone by June.

“It’s harder to do – without a doubt – but it can be done,” Cashman said. “But I guess, another day.”