The New York Yankees have officially signed RHP Ernesto Frieri to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Major League spring training, the team announced Thursday.
His addition gives the Yankees 49 players in major-league camp, and Frieri will wear No. 50.
Frieri, 31, was out of baseball in 2016, sitting out after being released by the Phillies in April. He did pitch in this year's World Baseball Classic, working two scoreless innings for Colombia in their 10-3 loss to the Dominican Republic on Sunday, and upon returning he headed straight to a workout with the Yankees.
"This is a guy that saved a lot of games," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after Wednesday night's 3-1 win over Philadelphia, when Frieri was spotted in the clubhouse. "He pitched well in the WBC. Some of our people saw him and he's going to get an opportunity here."
For his career, Frieri has a 3.55 ERA and 72 saves in 298 relief outings with the Padres, Angels, Pirates, and Rays, recording 70 of those 72 saves with the Halos from 2012-14. His last stint in pro baseball came in 2015 with the Rays, where he had a 4.63 ERA and two saves in 22 major-league games and a 2.40 ERA in 15 outings in the Minors.