Ryan Weathers gave the Yankees a scare Saturday, and it came right in the middle of a tough inning.
The left-hander was already working through his first rough outing in weeks when the moment turned ugly in the fourth at Yankee Stadium. With the Blue Jays up 2-0, a run in, two runners aboard and one out, Weathers missed inside on an 0-1 splitter to Myles Straw, then signaled to catcher Austin Wells that something was off.
Aaron Boone and a trainer rushed out. Weathers left the game with left forearm discomfort.
Yerry de los Santos took over, and Weathers headed out of the ballpark for imaging.
It’s a potential gut punch for the Yankees, because Weathers had been their hottest starter in a rotation that owns the best ERA in the majors. He entered Saturday riding a strong run, going 2-0 with a 1.94 ERA over his previous seven starts. His line in this one - 3 2/3 innings, eight hits, two runs - was his shakier turn, and now the injury may push him to the injured list.
If that happens, rookie right-hander Elmer Rodriguez could be recalled from Triple-A to cover one or two starts this week. Left-hander Max Fried is targeting a return from the IL when he’s first eligible on Aug. 30, and at that point the Yankees would finally have a rotation with their four aces - Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Fried - along with Will Warren.
The Weathers news landed on a day when Boone also had to shut down another expected return. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton’s rehab assignment is off after he suffered a “moderate grade” left calf strain nearly four months into his comeback from a low grade right calf strain.
There was at least one piece of good news Saturday: left fielder Cody Bellinger said he’ll be activated from the injured list after finishing rehab games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday and Friday.
The Yankees also lost third baseman Ryan McMahon to the IL on Friday with a grade 2 left thumb strain, leaving them with four regulars sidelined. The others are Aaron Judge, out with a right rib fracture and 70 missed games; Bellinger, out with a hamstring strain and 25 missed games; and Stanton, who has missed 103 games.
In all, the Yankees have used 15 players on the injured list across 18 stints this season. Last year, they had 23 players on the IL for 26 stints.
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The debate for the Yankees is less about whether Durango has improved and more about how much of this can carry over to the majors. His unconventional swing path draws obvious comparisons to Ichiro Suzuki, but there are real questions about whether his body type and contact-first game will translate the same way against big league pitching. For an organization always weighing present needs against future upside, Durango has made himself impossible to ignore, even if the answer on his long-term fit is still unsettled. [Read more 🡒]