Making it to Major League Baseball is very, very hard. Staying there is even harder.
Just ask Lucas Luetge.
The 33-year-old lefthander is currently at Spring Training with the Yankees, attempting to crack an MLB roster for the first time since 2015. So, how did he get to this point?
Lucky Luetge
Luetge was actually drafted three separate times, before he finally signed with a team. In 2005, he was a 31st-round pick by the White Sox out of high school. However, he turned it down in order to pitch for San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas.
After one year there, he was drafted again, also by the White Sox. And again, he turned it down. They say that the third time is the charm, and this held true for Luetge, who finally signed with the Brewers in 2008 after becoming a 21st-round pick out of Rice University.
He progressed steadily through Milwaukee’s system, starting at rookie ball in the summer of 2008, and working his way up to AA by 2011. After posting a 3.13 ERA in 46 games at AA that year, the Seattle Mariners selected him in the Rule 5 Draft that winter. This would lead to his major league debut.
The Good Luetge
MLB requires Rule 5 picks to be kept on the major league roster, or the player has to be offered back to their former team. Because of this, Luetge began 2012 in the MLB with the Mariners.
He made a strong first impression with Seattle, posting a 3.98 ERA in 63 relief appearances as a rookie. He also participated in the highlight of that year for the team. On June 8, the Mariners threw a combined no-hitter against the Dodgers. Luetge pitched in that game, recording an out against the only batter he faced.
Unfortunately, that would be the only year that he spent completely at the highest level. He split 2013 between the majors and AAA, and spent a majority of 2014 at AAA as well.
In 2015, he made just one appearance in the majors, throwing 2 & 1/3 scoreless innings on April 25. He hasn’t appeared in a major league game since.
So, where’s he been?
Toiling Away at Triple-A
He spent most of 2015 at AAA with the Mariners, signing a minor league deal with the Angels after the season. In 2016, he again spent the entire season at AAA.
Luetge signed a deal with the Reds after that season, and ended up splitting 2017 at AAA with Cincinnati and the Baltimore Orioles, whom he signed with in June of that year.
Then, he lost a full season after receiving Tommy John surgery. Of course, this didn’t deter the southpaw, who returned in 2019 on a minors deal with the Diamondbacks.
After being named to the Southern League All-Star Game that year, he was promoted back to AAA.
“I pitched so well, I thought I should be in the majors,” Luetge told the NY Post’s Joel Sherman. Evidently, Arizona did not agree, never giving him the call he was waiting for.
In 2020, he reportedly was deciding between signing with the A’s or Yankees. He chose Oakland, who he told Sherman he felt would provide more opportunity to make the majors.
But, like so many times before, he never did. Instead, he spent all of last season at Oakland’s alternate site.
However, the Yankees were not to be deterred by his choice that offseason.
Lucas Luetge: Yankees Reliever?
The Yankees gave Luetge another call after the 2020 season. He was offered a non-roster invite to Spring Training, and accepted.
And, perhaps, he has never been closer to making it back to the majors than this very moment.
This spring, the lefty has absolutely dominated on the mound. He’s thrown 4 innings, allowing 2 hits and no runs. He has also struck out 10 of the 14 batters he’s faced in total, with no walks either.
Naturally, this has grabbed the attention of many amongst the Yankees organization. As I discussed in Wednesday’s piece, manager Aaron Boone had praise for Luetge, telling reporters, “He has absolutely jumped out at us”.
The injury to Zack Britton, while obviously unfortunate for the Yankees, offers more of an opportunity for Luetge to crack the roster. If not on Opening Day, at some point before Britton’s return this summer.
So, will this finally be the year he makes his return? It’s hard to say. There is still about three weeks until the season begins, and a lot can happen in that time.
However, he certainly is making his case as best he can. For Luetge and his family, he hopes the long-awaited call comes sooner rather than later.
But, he’s waited nearly 6 years already. What’s another month or two, right?