Days after being cut by the Mets, Michael Tonkin is acquired by the Yankees.
The Yankees are now on Michael Tonkin’s turbulent journey to begin the 2024 season.
On Thursday, they claimed the right-handed reliever off waivers from the Mets. Tonkin began the season with the Mets, was dealt to the Twins upon being designated for assignment, and was later sent back to Queens after being DFA’d by Minnesota.
He has now made two more appearances for the Mets and will pitch for their crosstown rival after being placed on waivers for the third time in 17 days.
Following two scoreless innings on March 29, Tonkin struggled in his five outings for the Mets, going 1-2 with a 5.14 ERA.
On April 1, in a game against the Tigers, he gave up five unearned runs to score in the tenth inning and gave up three more, two of which were earned, in the eleventh inning of a different loss.
On April 9, he was then DFA’d and traded to the Twins in exchange for cash.
In his only game with Minnesota, he gave up five strikeouts in two
Tonkin’s professional life has also been quite active.
He spent six more seasons with the Twins after making his Major League Baseball debut in 2013.
In 2018, he then became a thrower for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Along with some minor-league deals, there was a stop with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks and a stint in the Dominican Winter League.
However, Tonkin’s time with the Twins was not stable after that. Last season, he played in 45 games for the Braves, which was his most in an MLB season since 2016. He finished with a 4.28 ERA, which helped him land a job with the Mets.
