Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers exits game vs. Blue Jays with left forearm discomfort
Yankees starting pitcher Ryan Weathers walks to the dugout with a trainer after being taken out of the game during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The latest concerning injury for the Yankees? Ryan Weathers.
Weathers, who had been rolling of late, exited with left forearm discomfort during the fourth inning of Saturday's 4-3 loss to Toronto at the Stadium. Aaron Boone said after the game that the lefthander underwent imaging.
“We’ll see,” he said when asked about his level of concern. “You don't love when a pitcher leaves the game, obviously.”
If Weathers hits the injured list, he’ll join Max Fried, who was placed on the 15-day IL Monday (retroactive to Aug. 14) with a left elbow bone bruise. Fried threw a bullpen session Saturday, which Boone said went well, and it’s possible that he will spend the minimum 15 days on the IL.
“I think we'll be all right,” Boone said about his pitching depth. “I mean, obviously, you never want significant pieces to go down. But again, that's part of it. I feel like we're throwing the ball incredibly well and expect to continue to do that.
“In the short term, that creates an opportunity for someone else. We've had people step up all year. We'll need to do it again.”
Boone said Saturday was the first time this season that Weathers complained of discomfort.
Weathers’ final pitch was a 78.4-mph sweeper to Myles Straw. He walked off the mound, put his face in his glove and exited the game during Straw's at-bat with a trainer after a brief mound visit.
“He’s been incredible for us the whole year,” Austin Wells said. “So yeah, obviously hoping for good news.”
Weathers had pitched at least five innings and allowed one run or fewer in each of his previous five starts entering Saturday, going 2-0 with an 0.85 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in that stretch.
On Saturday, he allowed eight hits and two earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking none.
The Yankees were hitless against Cy Young Award candidate Dylan Cease through 6 2/3 innings and trailed 3-0. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2-for-4) lined a clean single to right to break up the no-hitter and put runners on first and second, and Wells lined a single to right-center into a flock of pigeons to drive in George Lombard Jr., cut the Yankees' deficit to 3-1 and knock out Cease. Trent Grisham grounded out to first with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Cease (8-5, 2.37 ERA) allowed only two hits and struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings but walked five.
Nathan Lukes’ eighth-inning homer into the second deck in rightfield off Bradley Hanner extended Toronto’s lead to 4-1. Luis Garcia Jr.’s two-run shot into the second deck in rightfield off righthanded submariner Tyler Rogers in the bottom half made it 4-3.
Chisholm led off the ninth with a double to right-center against Louis Varland, but Wells struck out, Jose Caballero grounded out to third and — after Chisholm stole third — Grisham struck out.
The Blue Jays had 15 hits and two walks but went 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12. The Yankees went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.
The Yankees had a man on third with one out in the first inning, but Heliot Ramos and Garcia struck out. They again got a runner to third with one out in the second, but Chisholm popped to shallow center and Wells struck out.
The Yankees remained three games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay and had their lead over third-place Boston cut to three games.
After the game, the Yankees optioned Max Schuemann to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Cody Bellinger (hamstring), who is expected to return Sunday.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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