TJ Rumfield was never part of the Yankees’ immediate plan in the Bronx, and the club’s handling of the situation has only made the optics rougher. He wasn’t going to start over newly minted All-Star Ben Rice this season, he wasn’t going to serve as a real Giancarlo Stanton insurance option, and he was passed over in the Rule 5 Draft process. Meanwhile, he kept producing for the Rockies, hitting .301 with 12 homers and a 128 OPS+ while the Yankees waited on reliever Angel Chivilli to get healthy enough to take his shot at trimming a 6.00+ ERA at the big-league level.
Chivilli was basically the lone bullpen addition Brian Cashman made this offseason, aside from Cade Winquest, and it went into a relief group that had already lost heft and depth by the end of 2025, when both Luke Weaver and Devin Williams were escorted out. The early returns did little to calm anyone down. Chivilli gave up a loud Mike Trout homer and issued three walks over 2 1/3 innings in two April games, and then a shoulder injury seemed to wipe him from the picture entirely.
Instead, the story took a strange turn once he disappeared from the spotlight. His Triple-A numbers surged.
The slider started missing bats in a big way. The changeup, as Matt Blake intended, turned into a usable plus pitch.
The walks nearly vanished. And with the Yankees scrambling for anything that could help, he got the call back up in Brendan Beck’s wake on Sunday.
In his second Yankees "debut," the growth showed up against the Twins. Chivilli worked an inning and a third in garbage time against Minnesota, allowing one hit and striking out one. It wasn’t the kind of outing that changes the conversation around the bullpen, but it was enough to show that he’s not the same pitcher who flailed early in the year.
That still doesn’t mean the Yankees’ relief problems are anywhere close to solved. Chivilli should get a longer leash after what he did at Triple-A, but the club still needs to keep moving.
Camilo Doval has options. Jake Bird does too.
Kervin Castro should be back up from the high minors, and Ben Grable looks like he’s done enough to force the issue as well. Grable, 24, has 46 strikeouts in 30 clean innings with an 0.80 WHIP and a 2.70 ERA.
The Yankees also need to keep the trade deadline in mind and chase two more high-leverage-type relievers. If they have to clear a spot, the source of the move is obvious enough to raise eyebrows, even with Aaron Judge mentioned as a possible 60-Day IL candidate.
Chivilli’s progress is real, and it’s a step in the right direction. It just isn’t nearly enough on its own.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Have New Deadline Chips Fans Arent Talking About
A few lower-level Yankees prospects have started to make themselves more interesting at just the right moment, and that matters with the August 3 trade deadline approaching. Thatcher Hurd, Kyle Carr and Stiven Marinez are each showing enough in their own way to draw attention, whether it is Hurd working back from Tommy John surgery, Carr handling both Double-A and Triple-A, or Marinez holding his own in Rookie Ball.
For a front office that is always weighing present needs against future depth, that kind of progress can change the conversation quickly. Hurds recent outing hinted at real upside, Carr has paired command with swing-and-miss stuff, and Marinez has been productive as a teenager in the Florida Complex League after the Yankees made room for him in the international market. If those trends keep going, the Yankees may have a few more ways to navigate the deadline than fans realize. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Linked To The Deadline Move Fans Have Been Demanding
The Yankees recent slide has only sharpened the conversation around what they might need to do before the trade deadline, especially with the club looking for a way to steady itself after a rough stretch. With about a month left before the 2026 deadline, the focus is drifting toward big-name pitching help, and one familiar front-line arm has started to surface in that conversation as a possible fit for a team trying to get back on track.
Sandy Alcantara is the kind of starter who would change the tone of any deadline discussion, and his name carries obvious appeal for a Yankees club that wants more certainty on the mound. Even so, any pursuit comes with the usual questions tied to his recent injury history and how he would hold up over the rest of the season, which is part of why this feels like the sort of move that could dominate the final weeks before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Deadline Reunion Rumor Raises Big Question About This Lineup
The Yankees offense has spent much of the season looking like a group still searching for a spark, which is why any deadline chatter tied to middle-infield help is going to draw attention. One name floating into the conversation is a familiar one, and the appeal is obvious on the surface: a bat with enough familiarity to make the fit feel easy, at least in theory, for a club trying to patch over its lineup issues.
But the deeper look is where the uncertainty starts to creep in. The player in question has dealt with oblique trouble for much of the year, and even with the Yankees clearly needing more production, there are reasons to wonder whether this is the kind of move that solves the right problem. For a team under pressure to hit better now, the deadline will be about more than reunion nostalgia. [Read more 🡒]