TAMPA, Fla. -- Cade Winquest's Yankees career could end without him getting into a regular-season game.
New York designated the right-hander for assignment Friday to open a roster spot for Luis Gil, who was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is scheduled to start a series opener at the Tampa Bay Rays.
Winquest, 25, was selected from St. Louis during the Rule 5 draft at December's winter meetings and became the Yankees' first Rule 5 player to make the opening day roster since infielder Josh Phelps in 2007.
If he is placed on waivers and not claimed, he must be offered back to St. Louis for $50,000. If the Cardinals don't take him back and he clears waivers, the Yankees could assign him outright to the minor leagues. Winquest went 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA over nine outings this spring training. An eighth-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2022 amateur draft out of the University of Texas at Arlington, he was in the St. Louis farm system from 2023-25.
