NEW YORK — Lou Trivino‘s $5 million club option was declined Sunday by the New York Yankees, making the right-hander a free agent after he missed his second straight big league season following an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.
Trivino was acquired from Oakland on Aug. 1, 2023, along with right-hander Frankie Montas for left-handers J.P. Sears and Ken Waldichuk, right-hander Luis Medina and infielder Cooper Bowman.
Trivino had a 1.66 ERA in 25 relief appearances for the Yankees plus four more in the postseason. He made one spring training appearance the following March 2, went on the injured list with a strained right elbow and had Tommy John surgery that May 3 with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
After becoming a free agent last fall, Trivino agreed in February to a $1.5 million deal with the Yankees that included the team option.
He made his minor league season debut on Aug. 14 and had a 4.91 ERA in 11 appearances for Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, striking out 11 and walking six in 11 innings. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.2 mph at Triple-A.