The Yankees are getting closer to a pitching shakeup, and it’s the kind that forces a real roster squeeze.
Clarke Schmidt is nearing a call-up, while Ryan Weathers is making progress and shouldn’t be far behind. For a bullpen that has hung around all season but always seemed one bad stretch away from unraveling, that’s good news. It also means somebody is getting squeezed out.
Bradley Hanner looks like the obvious first move. He’s been the last man in the bullpen and hasn’t done enough to force a tougher conversation. But that only clears one spot, and New York still has to make room for one more arm once Schmidt and Weathers are ready.
That leaves the Yankees weighing Michael Fulmer, Luis Gil, and Ryan Yarbrough.
The tricky part is that Fulmer and Gil haven’t exactly built long enough resumes in this stretch to make the choice easy. Gil has made only two appearances and logged four innings since returning to the majors, though he did turn in a strong if brief run in the minors as a reliever after being activated from the IL.
Fulmer brings a different kind of appeal. Across 10 2/3 innings with the Angels and Yankees, he has struck out 26.1% of the batters he’s faced and held opponents to a .179 average against him. But the command has been shaky, and that kind of volatility makes him a risky bet.
Yarbrough is the steady one. He has the biggest sample, the least volatility, and a very specific job.
Plenty of the pitchers in this mix, including Schmidt and Weathers, have starter backgrounds, but it’s not clear whether any of them are built up enough to handle the mop-up role Yarbrough covers. He may not be the flashiest option, but he’s the safest.
That’s why the best path, based on this setup, is to keep Yarbrough. In a long season, especially now with arms wearing down, there’s real value in having someone who can soak up innings in a blowout and protect the rest of the bullpen.
After that, Gil gets the edge over Fulmer. The argument is simple: if the Yankees are going to roll the dice on a high-variance arm, better to do it with a pitcher the organization already knows. Matt Blake is familiar with Gil, and that relationship matters if New York wants to try to get the most out of him in this role.
And none of this is permanent. Once October arrives and rosters drop back to 26, the Yankees will have another round of decisions to make. For now, though, the focus is on seeding and possibly catching the Rays, and the combination that makes the most sense is Gil and Yarbrough.
In Other News...
George Lombard Jr. Just Gave Yankees Fans A Tough October Question
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The question now is whether the Yankees can trust the rest of his game when the games get bigger. Lombard has been inconsistent defensively, with multiple errors and even a six-game stretch in August where he misfired every night, but Aaron Boone has stayed publicly confident in his long-term potential. For a team heading into October, that leaves one familiar Yankees dilemma hanging in the air: how much runway do they give a rookie whose talent is obvious, even if the mistakes have not gone away? [Read more 🡒]
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The appeal is obvious: when healthy, the Yankees can lean on a pitching staff and offense that executives believe can match up with anyone. Aaron Judge remains the headliner, and Cam Schlittler is among the names tied to the clubs upside, but the bigger question is whether New York can finally get enough of its key pieces on the field when October arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Rafael Devers Idea Fans Can't Ignore
Rafael Devers has already done enough this season to keep his name circulating well beyond San Francisco, and the Yankees are suddenly being mentioned as a possible landing spot as the offseason approaches. Buster Olney and Paul Hembekides floated the idea as a fit worth watching, pointing to Devers stronger offense and the simple reality that a bat like that tends to reshape any lineup conversation the minute it becomes available.
For the Yankees, the appeal goes beyond star power. There is a path to making the roster work with some positional shuffling, and the contract situation matters just as much as the production, especially with payroll always part of the equation in New York. The timing could also push the conversation forward quickly, since any major move before a projected lockout and a new collective bargaining agreement would give a front office less room to wait and see. [Read more 🡒]