Two swings buried a bullpen hopeful: both Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton smashed home runs off Osvaldo Bido’s lone inning of live batting practice, instantly inflaming New York’s 40-man debate and highlighting why the ex-Pirate is out of options entering the Grapefruit League.
Inside the Yankees’ Tampa complex, Feb. 19 felt routine—until it didn’t. One quick inning of live batting practice spun into an eight-minute highlight reel that will live on analytics laptops and front-office whiteboards the rest of camp.
Wells opens, Stanton vaporizes
Austin Wells jumped on the first hittable fastball he saw from Osvaldo Bido and drilled it halfway up the right-field berm. Minutes later, Giancarlo Stanton stepped in and produced the day’s signature boom: a 117-mph moonshot that caromed halfway up the left-center scoreboard.
The two long balls weren’t cheapies. Statcast-style tower readings—shared internally moments after contact—registered 29° and 33° launch angles with estimated distances of 410 ft and 431 ft respectively, data confirmed by New York Post cameras calibrated to the complex’s TrackMan setup.
Why it stings: Bido has zero margin
Claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on Feb. 1, Bido landed in a bullpen scrum with one working advantage: a minor-league option already spent. Translation—he either cracks the 26-man roster or passes through waivers again, this time with every club watching the spring tape.
Hitters weren’t finished. Aaron Judge scorched a liner that nicked Bido’s glove on the mound, and Trent Grisham’s drive died on the warning track, turning the outing into a four-barrel sentence for the 29-year-old righty.
- Spring Stakes: Eight relievers compete for roughly three open spots behind Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, and Tommy Kahnle.
- Glue Factor: Bido’s slider drew whiffs across 37 pct of swings last season for the Pirates’ Triple-A unit, but the right-on-right split dropped to 18 pct whiff versus MLB righties, per MLB.com.
- Clock Ticking: The Yankees must decide on his roster status before March 19 when the waiver-claim grace period ends.
Dominoes: Roster math hardens
New York’s front office carried 14 pitchers most of 2025; a repeat plan all but forces the club to dump an arm the moment an injury pops. By Friday’s Grapefruit opener against Baltimore, the calculus looks like this—Ron Marinaccio (options left), Yoendrys Gomez (options left), Bido (none), Cody Poteet (one), Josh Maciejewski (one).
If Bido’s next appearance brings more loud contact, the club saves a 40-man spot by exposing him to waivers and shielding the optioned arms for mid-season shuttle work.
Position-player angle: Wells keeps applying pressure
Catching prospect Wells, projected by many systems to open at Triple-A Scranton, reminded coaches his left-handed stick is MLB-ready. His homer off Bido clocked in at 107 mph exit velocity, the latest in a string of barreled BP sessions dating to voluntary workouts earlier this month.
Bench versatility also resurfaced. Non-roster invitee J.C. Escarra logged reps at both first and third base in addition to his catching duties, nudging him closer to a coveted three-catcher/utility hybrid role—a luxury item on manager Aaron Boone’s wish list tracked by ESPN this winter.
What’s next
The Yankees open Grapefruit League play Friday in Sarasota against the Orioles with pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez tabbed for the start. Bido is scheduled to throw again Sunday versus the Phillies; Boone has hinted innings will be prioritized according to 40-man jeopardy, ratcheting stakes for every pitch.
For Bido, another shaky outing could force him off the roster before the calendar flips to March, while Wells and Stanton hope the momentum carries into meaningful March at-bats that decide New York’s catching alignment and cleanup protection for Juan Soto.
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