after going undrafted in 2009, yates signed with the tampa bay rays. in 2012, yates reached the double-a level with the montgomery biscuits, where he had a 2.65 era and 94 strikeouts in 68 innings over 50 games. yates was a triple-a all-star in 2013, putting up a 1.90 era in 51 games for the durham bulls.