The New York Yankees shook up the offseason by acquiring a fiery arm in Devin Williams, but it came at the cost of parting ways with Nestor Cortes Jr., known for his crafty left-handed pitches, and Caleb Durbin, who was expected to fill second base. Fast forward to the first month of the season, and neither team seems to be basking in the desired outcomes just yet—which puts Durbin right in the spotlight this week.
Cortes, now with the Brewers, has unfortunately been sidelined again in Milwaukee due to the same injury bug—a flexor strain—that hounded him last fall with the Yankees. Back then, Cortes had insisted he'd rather sit out a season after a championship run than not battle through the discomfort. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, and that choice didn’t pan out well; attempting to pitch through the pain only led to struggles in Game 1 of the World Series, a lost championship, and an aggravation of his injury just two starts into this season.
As for Devin Williams, he's treading water on a slightly calmer sea. While not disastrous by any means, he hasn’t quite emerged as the lockdown reliever expected, having had some shaky moments in early games, including nail-biters on Opening Day and later in Detroit where he nearly squandered key leads.
Amidst the shuffle, the spotlight shifts to Caleb Durbin, as the Brewers have called him up for his MLB debut, stepping up in place of a struggling Oliver Dunn.
So, who is Caleb Durbin? A former under-the-radar Yankee prospect now hoping to make waves in Milwaukee.
His call-up wasn’t necessarily what insiders anticipated; the word in the offseason was that his inclusion in the trade was to secure a starter slot seamlessly. Spring training told a different story, though, with Vinny Capra’s standout performance taking center stage, even if his initial success was short-lived—3 hits in his first 31 at-bats to be precise.
Durbin isn’t coming in with the flash, but with a toolbox of relentless work ethic and surprising pop in his bat. In 13 games at Triple-A, he has registered two homers and a .797 OPS, while staying true to his knack for avoiding strikeouts, only five so far—a testament to his disciplined approach at the plate, having been one of the Yankees' least strikeout-prone prospects last year.
As he steps into the Major League batter’s box, fans back in New York will be rooting for their once-underdog prospect, watching closely to see if Devin Williams hits his stride. If setbacks continue for Cortes and Williams struggles to stabilize, this trade might evoke a touch of longing for what might have been.
