[en] High (more than ten times) small-signal gain is demonstrated in an Yb : YAG single crystal thin rods with pumping by a fibre-coupled diode laser. A four-pass amplifier for a fibre master oscillator with an average output power exceeding 15 W at a pulse repetition rate of 3 MHz is fabricated based on this active element. The small-signal gain in the developed amplifier is 26 dB, which is comparable with the gain in regenerative amplifiers. The possibility of obtaining sub-millijoule pulse energy at a pulse repetition rate of tens of kilohertz is shown. (extreme laser radiation: physics and fundamental applications)