TAMPA, Fla. — Pitcher Andy Pettitte has ended his one-year retirement and is making a comeback with the New York Yankees.
The Yankees announced Friday that Pettitte had signed a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training. If added to the major league roster, Pettitte would get a $2.5 million, one-year contract.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said there are no incentives in the deal and that Pettitte — who is expected in camp Tuesday — will only be a starter.
Cashman believes Pettitte will not be ready to break camp with the team when spring training ends early next month.
The 39-year-old Pettitte last played in 2010. The left-hander sat out last season, but was with the Yankees in camp this spring as an instructor. He threw batting practice several times, and also had a private bullpen session for team officials, including Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild last Tuesday.
Pettitte first expressed interest in pitching again last December.
Pettitte is 240-138 lifetime. In his last season with the Yankees, he was an All-Star and went 11-3.
For many years, Pettitte was an ace for the Yankees and one of their most dependable pitchers in the postseason. He is 19-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 42 career postseason starts.
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