Yankees claim Duke Ellis from Mariners; Ian Hamilton placed on 60-day IL

The New York Yankees have announced they claimed outfielder Duke Ellis off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. In addition to that announcement, right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton has been placed on the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.

Ellis is a 26-year-old from Shreveport, Louisiana. Originally drafted by the Padres in the 20th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, he elected to go play college baseball at the University of Texas instead. Undrafted after three years with the Longhorns, he signed with the Chicago White Sox. He made it up to the MLB level this season, playing eight games, registering four plate appearances, and even earning his first MLB hit and four stolen bases.

Stealing bags is what Ellis does best on a baseball field. In 2024 alone with the Mariners, Mets, and White Sox organizations, he has swiped 51 bases in 54 attempts in the minor leagues, albeit while slashing just .235/.315/.336. Ellis will report to the Yankees’ Triple-A squad in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, where he’ll join another late-season pinch-runner candidate in Cam Eden.

As for the 29-year-old reliever Hamilton, he has pitched 29.2 innings with a 4.55 ERA and 30 strikeouts for the Yankees this season before being diagnosed with a right lat strain in the middle of June. He’s on a rehab stint with Double-A Somerset though, and since he’s already spent 60 days on the IL, this is just a procedural move. He can be activated at any time if the Yankees decide that he’s ready; they’ll just need to make a 40-man move at that point.