Nobody spent the deadline talking up the Yankees’ bullpen moves. The bigger applause went to Luis Garcia Jr., and for good reason - he has the look of a real Bronx star, the kind of left-handed bat who could become something he never was with the Washington Nationals.
But the noise around what New York didn’t do never really went away. The concern was obvious: after two straight years of needing help in the bullpen, the Yankees still hadn’t fully checked that box.
Now, though, that complaint looks a lot different.
Since August 4, New York’s relievers have been the best in baseball. The Yankees own a 2.88 ERA in that stretch, the only staff in the sport under three, and that mark sits ahead of Pete Alonso’s Baltimore Orioles, who are right behind at 3.02.
Over the full season, the bullpen has been just as sharp in a broader sense, posting a league-best 3.09 ERA. The Boston Red Sox are next at 3.10.
What makes this run stand out is how fragile it once felt. The Yankees were surviving on the rise of Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick behind David Bednar, but there was always the risk that those arms would get stretched too thin. That’s where the front office’s waiver-wire work mattered.
John Schreiber has been the biggest fix. The Yankees got a break when the Kansas City Royals decided to dump salary late in the season, and Schreiber has done exactly what the club needed from a veteran middle reliever.
He isn’t Mason Miller, and nobody asked him to be. His job is simpler: enter in the middle or late innings, give Boone reliable outs, and steady the group.
So far, he’s done that without allowing a run.
Schreiber has appeared in seven games and has gone more than one inning in four of them. His latest outing against the Twins might have gone longer, too, if not for George Lombard Jr. misplaying a ball and letting it get behind him.
Michael Fulmer has given the Yankees another useful layer. He’s not going to be the first choice in the highest-leverage spots, but he has helped absorb innings and take pressure off Blackburn, Headrick, and Bednar.
Fulmer, who had one foot in retirement, has worked eight games and allowed two earned runs in seven innings. He’s struck out eight hitters and has limited opposing batters to an average exit velocity of 86.5 MPH.
The names aren’t flashy, but the results are what matter.
And the bullpen isn’t done changing. Clarke Schmidt is back and picked up a few strikeouts in his return. Ryan Weathers will return as well, and Will Warren is set to join the relief mix by the time October arrives.
After a year-long build, the Yankees could end up with the best bullpen among postseason teams. The bigger issue now isn’t which arm Aaron Boone trusts late - it’s whether the lineup will do enough to make that edge count. That remains the central question for New York as it waits on more Aaron Judge news.
In Other News...
Yankees Needed This From George Lombard Jr More Than Ever
With Aaron Judge on the injured list because of a right calf strain, the Yankees needed someone young to step into a larger spotlight in Arizona, and George Lombard Jr. answered with one of the best games of his brief big league run. The rookie collected two hits and drove in three runs in a 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, giving New York some much-needed production from a lineup suddenly missing its biggest bat.
Lombard Jr. delivered both a two-run single and a home run, the kind of timely damage that can change how a game feels when the Yankees are trying to keep moving without Judge. Gerrit Cole also provided a steadying presence, working six innings and allowing two runs while striking out six, adding another milestone to a night that gave New York a cleaner look at how its depth can hold up when the roster gets tested. [Read more 🡒]
Bernie Williams Is Giving Yankees Fans A Whole New Reason To Watch
Bernie Williams has never really been just a former Yankees center fielder, and this fall he is adding another high-profile stage to a second career that has quietly become part of his identity. Beginning Oct. 22 and running through Nov. 29, Williams will perform with the Tony- and Grammy-winning band behind Broadways Buena Vista Social Club at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, giving fans another chance to see him in a setting far removed from the old Yankee Stadium outfield.
For Yankees followers, it is a neat crossover that brings one of the franchises most beloved alumni into the Broadway spotlight at the same time former major league infielder Jose Iglesias is also in the show. The result is a rare baseball-to-theater connection that fits Williams longstanding music background and adds a little extra intrigue for anyone who still associates him with the pinstripes. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Face A Brutal Aaron Judge Timeline
Aaron Judges trip to the 10-day injured list has put the Yankees in a familiar but unwelcome spot, waiting on the health of the player who still shapes nearly everything they do. The calf strain, specifically in the soleus muscle, is the latest setback in a season where the margins around Judge have mattered constantly, and Boone said the club will try to get him back before the year is over. Judge has said he wants to return by the postseason, but for now there is no firm timeline.
What makes this latest pause so tricky is the lack of clarity around just how long the Yankees may be without him. Boone did not offer any further detail on the severity of the injury, leaving the team to manage both the roster and the uncertainty that comes with losing its centerpiece. For a club built to contend now, the question is no longer only when Judge can swing again, but how much time the Yankees can afford to spend guessing. [Read more 🡒]