Yankees' Luke Weaver throws simulated game, takes big step in rehab

Shortly after getting put on the 15-day injured list June 3 with a left hamstring strain, Luke Weaver expressed hope his stint would be a short one.

To this point, Weaver is poised to beat the typical timeline for that kind of injury — roughly 4-6 weeks — as the righthander took, in his words, the “biggest step” yet in his rehab process on Tuesday.

Before that night’s game against the Angels, Weaver threw a two-inning simulated game on the field at the Stadium.

“Felt great,” Weaver said after facing infielder Oswald Peraza and backup catcher J.C. Escarra in the simulated game. “Trying to knock off the cobwebs a little bit. A teeny bit of adrenaline. Hard to say the adrenaline’s flowing the same way a game would, but heart rate is definitely up and the velo was good and all pitches were moving well.”

Aaron Boone was among a sizable group watching Weaver’s session, a contingent that included bench coach Brad Ausmus, pitching coach Matt Blake, assistant pitching coach Preston Claiborne and bullpen coach Mike Harkey.

“I thought it looked great,” Boone said. “Forgetting the initial news that we got and the initial timeline [4-6 weeks], this last two weeks I feel like has gone really well for him.”

Weaver suffered the injury warming up in the Dodger Stadium bullpen June 1 and was placed on the IL two days later, on June 3. The stint is retroactive to June 1, meaning Weaver was eligible to come off the list on Monday. That date came and went but all indications are Weaver, the Yankees’ best reliever at the time of his injury, is making quicker progress in his recovery than is usual.

“I mean, he really looks good,” Boone said. “He told me in those first couple days in his catch play [at the start of rehab], he felt like it was the best in-sync he’s been all year. And that’s what it looked like out there . . . We’ll see how he comes out of this, and hopefully in the next two days we’ll be in a position to make a decision [on his return].”

Weaver said the last time he felt anything significant in the hamstring — pain, discomfort, etc. — was “the day I did it.”

“Once a day or two went by, I haven’t felt anything since,” Weaver said. “Today was a big day, obviously, in progression and we’ll see how tomorrow feels. But every day I’ve done anything has yielded great results and recovery has been very minimal as far as any soreness or anything negative.”

Weaver’s best-case scenario for when he’ll be back?

“Um, today,” Weaver said with a smile. “I just show up every day, so it would be today, tomorrow, the next day, it would be as soon as possible, right? Obviously, we’re past the activation date but we want to be smart and make sure the recovery’s going well. Today was the biggest step thus far and I feel really good.”

Weaver, the Yankees’ most consistent reliever in 2024 when he posted a 2.89 ERA in 62 appearances, was even better this season at the time of the injury. That includes going 6-for-7 in save chances, with a 2.31 ERA, in 12 games since taking over closer duties from Devin Williams, who struggled in his first month in the role.

Though there remains no timeline for Weaver’s return, when he does come back it is not guaranteed he’ll go back to closing.

There are two reasons for that.

First, Weaver, though excelling late last season and throughout the postseason as the Yankees’ closer after he took over for an up-and-down Clay Holmes, has excelled in pretty much every role he’s been in since joining the Yankees toward the end of the 2023 season.

Second, Williams seems to have turned his season around, posting a 3.31 ERA in 16 games since his demotion. After Weaver got hurt and Williams returned to closing, he’s gone 4-for-4 in save chances with a 1.93 ERA.

“I haven’t gone into that full-bore yet,” Boone said of who will close when Weaver comes back. “Love the way Devin’s throwing the ball right now and just looking forward to getting another hammer back in Weave. We’ll figure out what makes the most sense.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.