Shewmake’s outright signing comes nearly a year to the date after the Yankees claimed him off waivers from the White Sox. He spent the 2025 season in Scranton, where he hit .244/.318/.362 with four home runs and 15 stolen bases in 315 at-bats. The former first-round pick (Braves, 2019) played in parts of four Triple-A seasons, hitting .241/.304/.386 in 1,181 plate appearances.
Offense has never been Shewmake’s calling card. He’s a run-first infielder whose best attribute has long been his ability to play good defense at multiple positions. He spent most of his 2025 season at shortstop, which was his primary position in pro ball, but he also made a handful of appearances at both second and third base. Shewmake has logged more than 2,800 innings at short since being drafted, in addition to 765 at second base and 118 at the hot corner. He will remain with the Yankees as a depth option who can be called upon when they need a defensive option to take a spot on the bench if injuries occur.
Hamel, originally a 2021 third-round pick of the Mets, made his major league debut last September. He faced six batters and threw one scoreless inning. Hamel has been hit hard in a few seasons at the Triple-A level, posting a 6.27 ERA in 192 1/3 frames. He has faced 22.6% of his opponents in Triple-A, but is also plagued by an 11.2% walk rate, although those stats improved in 2025 (25.2%, 7.4%) from their 2024 levels (21.3%, 13.2%).
Hamel is 90-90 mph with his four-sifter, combining the pitch with an upper-80s cutter and a low-80s slider. He posted a strong 13.2% swing-strike rate in Triple-A this year and fared better overall on the mound after moving from the rotation to what was primarily a relief role. Like Shewmake, he will remain as a depth option and could be a look this season if the Yankees suffer injuries in the bullpen.
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