Yankees Rumors: Andy Pettitte, 5-Time World Series Champion, Joins NYY as Adviser

Andy Pettitte is back in the Bronx.

The New York Yankees hired Pettitte as an adviser to the franchise Saturday, marking his return to the team following his 2013 retirement. He spent 15 of his 18 seasons in MLB with the franchise, earning three All-Star nods and five World Series championships.

He is the franchise's all-time leader in strikeouts with 2,020 and is tied with Whitey Ford for most starts by a pitcher in a Yankees uniform. He is coming off a stint as pitching coach for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, helping the team reach the final before losing to Japan.

Pettite's hiring is the second high-profile addition for the Yankees this month, as the team fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson and replaced him with three-time All-Star Sean Casey.

The Yankees rank eighth in MLB for team ERA at 3.71, and this has been huge to keep the team afloat as the offense ranks 29th.

New York is 53-47 and is in fourth place in the AL East. The Yankees are 8.5 games behind the division-leading Baltimore Orioles and 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot.