Rays claim Whitley off waivers from Yankees

The Tampa Bay Rays have claimed right-hander Chase Whitley off waivers from the New York Yankees.

Whitley - a 15th-round selection of the Yankees in the 2010 draft - suffered a tear in his elbow ligament in a May start against the Rays, limiting him to only four appearances in 2015.

The 26-year-old has the ability to start, or be used as the long man out of the bullpen, and compiled a 4-3 record with a 5.23 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 24 appearances in 2014 for New York.

President of baseball operations Matthew Silverman told Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune he envisions the righty eventually starting.

Tampa Bay's starting rotation is already in good shape ahead of the 2016 campaign. Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly, Erasmo Ramirez, and Matt Moore are projected to round out of the rotation, but Whitley could earn a spot in the bullpen at some point once he's fully recovered from Tommy John surgery.