How worried are you about the Yankees’ September bullpen?

Jun 7, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Fernando Cruz (63) pitches in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so what was it that I

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There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so what was it that I said about the Yankees’ bullpen yesterday morning before we knew of the latest roster moves?

The Yankees’ bullpen deserves a lot of credit for exceeding expectations in 2026. There was plenty of eye-rolling in the offseason when it became clear that they were going with pretty much the same bunch that ended 2026, minus Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. Minimal offseason improvements were made. And yes, there were absolutely misses. Camilo

Doval and Jake Bird were terrible; they’ve since been traded. But while David Bednar’s success was expected … Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and Fernando Cruz 2: Electric Boogaloo? They’ve helped this pitching staff stand up and carry the team during a wretched stretch for the bats. The bad news is that because said bats were, again, so wretched for so long, the Yankees were always playing close ballgames, and Aaron Boone had to ride the bullpen’s best like mid-2000s Joe Torre or else risk close games falling into the hands of Doval, Bird, Ryan Yarbrough, or whoever the 26th man happened to be that day. Well, now the worm has turned. It’s more apparent for Cruz, who has surrendered 11 runs and five homers across his last 13.2 innings, but Headrick got hit hard last night as well. There is very little wiggle room at this point in the AL East race for the Yankees to be giving away ballgames when the offense actually shows up, but that’s what happened.

A few hours after that posted, the Yankees announced that Cruz was going on the IL with ominous right elbow discomfort. Annnnnd a few hours after that, Aaron Boone told reporters in the postgame that Cruz had a partially torn UCL. Zoinks. Cruz and Headrick were two of the 18 relievers in MLB to reach 60 appearances already, and barring a miracle, it doesn’t sound like the former will be adding to his total for the remainder of 2026.

Suddenly, here’s what the Yankees’ bullpen looks like at the moment:

RHP David Bednar
LHP Brent Headrick
RHP Paul Blackburn
LHP Tim Hill
RHP Yerry De los Santos
RHP Michael Fulmer
RHP Justin Topa
LHP Ryan Yarbrough

So that’s different! Further tweaks could be on the horizon, as Clarke Schmidt and Ryan Weathers are working their way back from injury as relievers and the team is tentatively expecting both to play a role. Luis Gil and Angel Chivilli could make returns from the minors as well. But even with Cruz’s recent scuffles, that group seems less reliable without him. There’s reason for optimism with Matt Blake’s apparatus here, but it’s hard to predict how, say, Schmidt and Weathers fare when neither have been relievers for a hot minute.

I think Schmidt and Weathers are talented enough to make it work if they are healthy enough to return to the big-league roster, and even Gil could provide some innings now that he’s been converted. Maybe it’s just a one-game one-off, but hell, even Fulmer looked good in his Yankees debut on Monday night. It’s hard to strike out a hitter as gifted as Triple Crown threat Yordan Alvarez on accident.

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I go back and forth on this topic. I have enough confidence in the overall operation that I’ll say I’m not too worried yet. On a scale of 1-5, I’ll say about a 3.5 in terms of confidence. If neither Schmidt nor Weathers can be effective in a relief comeback, then it’s certainly dropping to a three or worse.

Regardless, I am still worried at how much Headrick and Bednar have had to pitch in 2026, and as alluded in the earlier excerpt, I am forever scarred by the playoff impact of Torre’s overuse of guys like Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, and Scott Proctor. Yes, it’s been a very long time since then, and even at their apex, Aaron Boone does not use his arms quite as freely. Hopefully, the 24 runs scored across the last few games portend a long-awaited offensive rebound and the bats can give the most-used arms at least a couple extra days off here and there.

Today on the site, Andrés will profile new Yankees reliever Justin Topa, Sam will run through the Rivalry Roundup, Jonathan will celebrate what would have been the 80th birthday of forgotten catcher Ed Herrmann, Peter will break down his Sequence of the Week, and Michael will recall some niche Yankee killers in recent memory.