As the Yankees enter the season’s final month, a bullpen that’s been a strength throughout the year is running on fumes. Injuries to Fernando Cruz and Kervin Castro have further strained an already thin unit, forcing the Yankees to get creative in adding some veteran talent from outside their organization for the stretch run.
As I do each month in a given season, I’m going to take a look at the Yankees’ relievers to identify how manager Aaron Boone is deploying each and offer a verdict as to how much
trust we can place in them moving forward using the following ranking system:
- 5: As confident as one can be in a reliever, the most fickle position in baseball
- 4: High degree of confidence, but some trepidation remains
- 3: Glass half full or glass half empty? The choice is yours
- 2: Major concerns here, though perhaps a glimmer of hope
- 1: Absolute zero — usually reserved for those with a minimal track record
Statistics below are from August 6-September 2.
The Closer
David Bednar
Recent stats: 10.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 11 SO, 1.60 FIP, 6 Saves (in 7 opportunities)
After a couple of days off and with the rest of the bullpen gassed, Bednar came in to eat the eighth inning of what was then a 7-1 blowout at the hands of the Angels on Monday. He allowed three runs, inflating his stats in garbage time. The right-hander allowed only one other earned run all August, though, cementing his status as one of the game’s most reliable closers.
Confidence level: 5
No one in baseball has finished more games than Bednar’s 50 this year, and he’s done it while blowing just three saves. He isn’t as flashy as some of the game’s other elite late-inning arms, but he’s been as effective as any of them.
The Set-Up Men
Brent Headrick
Recent stats: 12 IP, 4.50 ERA, 18 SO, 2.76 FIP
It’s been a choppier month than we’ve seen before from Headrick this year. Opponents hit .345 with a 1.015 OPS against him in August, a red flag for a pitcher who’s made the second-most appearances in baseball. Still, even after his uneven stretch, the southpaw’s ERA sits below 2.00.
Confidence level: 5
Headrick has shown enough to receive the benefit of the doubt here. Especially after the injury to Cruz, who was among MLB’s most-used relievers before his injury, fatigue is a legitimate concern. But in a tight AL East race, expect Boone to continue deploying his fireman in big spots.
Paul Blackburn
Recent stats: 15.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 14 SO, 2.27 FIP
It’s been a rapid ascent for Blackburn, who began the season as the last man out of the bullpen and is now one of Boone’s most trusted relievers. He hasn’t skipped a beat since moving into a high-leverage role, allowing no earned runs across his last 16 appearances dating back to late July.
Confidence level: 4
Like other Yankees reclamation projects before him, Blackburn has been able to leverage his sinker into a skyrocketing ground ball rate. There’s no reason at this point to believe the tweaks he’s made are not sustainable.
The Middle Relievers
Michael Fulmer
Recent stats: 3.2 IP, 4.91 ERA, 4 SO, 6.10 FIP
A week and change ago, Fulmer was out of a job after the Angels cut him loose. Now, he’s the Yankees’ new shiny toy, with the New York Post’s Joel Sherman relaying that the team feels they saw things in his video that other teams missed. With a dearth of options, he’s been thrown right into the fire. The early results have not been encouraging.
Confidence level: 2
Fulmer has only made four appearance for the Yankees, so it’s too soon to say how valuable he will be. Any return to form would be a remarkable comeback for the 33-year-old, who’s appeared only sporadically in MLB since 2023.
Tim Hill
Recent stats: 10 IP, 2.70 ERA, 3 SO, 4.40 FIP
Formerly ol’ reliable in this column, Hill’s stock took a major hit after a disastrous run from mid-May through mid-July in which he allowed 18 runs in 18 innings. He’s been better since, deployed strategically in mostly in lower-leverage spots.
Confidence level: 3
Hill is not a back-end reliever, and that should be OK. The crafty lefty still serves a useful role, particularly against lefty batters, who are hitting .205 with a .575 OPS against him this year.
John Schreiber
Recent stats: 8.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 5 SO, 3.33 FIP (with Kansas City and New York)
Another new kid on the block, Schreiber made his Yankees debut on Tuesday, pitching a clean ninth to close out a victory against the Angels. The 32-year-old brings with him a long track record of steady bullpen performance, including this season. Schreiber posted a 3.65 ERA and 117 ERA+ in 56 appearances with Kansas City before they placed him on waivers as they drifted out of contention.
Confidence level: 2.5
Some of Schreiber’s underlying metrics — including a .254 BABIP and 36:22 K:BB ratio with Kansas City — are cause for concern. Still, considering the Yankees got him for nothing, he’s a quality pickup given the slim pickings at this point in the season.
The Long Reliever
Ryan Yarbrough
Recent stats: 9 IP, 5.00 ERA, 9 SO, 2.10 FIP
Yarbrough has been something of a shadow starter for most of the season, appearing once a week or so to pitch multiple innings in relief and then retreating to obscurity in the bullpen. A four-run blowup against the Red Sox last week jumped his season ERA nearly a half-run, underscoring the limits of his bag of tricks.
Confidence index: 2.5
Come playoff time, Yarbrough should only be seeing action if a game is out of hand. He’s been a perfectly serviceable placeholder this year, helping eat innings in a bullpen that’s seen its high performers used frequently.
The Mop-Up Man
Luis Gil
Recent stats: 9.1 IP, 0.96 ERA, 12 SO (including minor leagues)
Gil’s wilderness period is over. After a disastrous start to the year for the Yankees and nearly four months spent on the IL, the team decided to bring their former Rookie of the Year back in a relief role. He tossed 7.1 scoreless innings across five appearances in the minors, and he made his return to the big leagues last Monday, allowing one run in two innings of work.
Confidence level: 1
Gil’s is such a bizarre case that it’s difficult to place any stock in him. While unquestionably talented, the 27-year-old has endured consecutive lost seasons. Until he can prove otherwise, his superlative 2024 campaign is the clear outlier. Time will tell if he can reinvent himself in his new role.
