A week after his final appearance with the New York Mets, right-hander Paul Blackburn signed with the Yankees on Thursday to provide bullpen depth for the American League wild-card leaders. Blackburn was originally supposed to be with the Yankees for Wednesday's game against the Rays at Steinbrenner Field but encountered extensive flight delays in Texas after flying in from Idaho.

Blackburn, 31, is a former All-Star honoree who was released earlier this week by the New York Mets. In seven appearances (four of them starts) this season, he had compiled a 6.85 ERA (59 ERA+) and a 2.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions were estimated by Baseball Reference to have been below the replacement-level boundary.

The New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that they have signed right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn to a major league contract and added him to their active roster.