Wandy Peralta goes on injured list with left triceps strain
Yankees pitcher Wandy Peralta walks off the mound in the middle of the seventh inning against the Brewers at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 9. Credit: Errol Anderson
One of the Yankees' most valuable relievers the last few seasons might have thrown his last pitch with the club.
The Yankees put lefthander Wandy Peralta on the injured list Friday with a left triceps strain that he started feeling during last week’s seven-game trip through Boston and Pittsburgh. Righthander Yoendrys Gomez, a touted pitching prospect who has dealt with a variety of injuries during his development, was recalled from Double-A Somerset to take Peralta’s spot on the roster.
Peralta, a free agent after the season, posted a 2.83 ERA in 63 appearances, tied with closer Clay Holmes for the team high in the latter category. Peralta, an at-the-time under-the-radar acquisition in April 2021 when the Yankees obtained him from the Giants for outfielder Mike Tauchman, posted a 2.82 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 165 appearances in his three seasons with the Yankees. Peralta earned a reputation among his teammates as a fearless competitor on the mound and became one of the most popular players in the clubhouse because of his sense of humor when it comes to giving and receiving barbs.
“Wandy’s been awesome,” Aaron Boone said. “He’s a leader. He’s tough. We trust him in any situation. Obviously, last year he was great in the playoffs for us.”
Peralta appeared in all five of the Division Series games against Cleveland and in two of the four games against the Astros in Houston's ALCS sweep.
“He was a big-game pitcher, not afraid of any moment,” Boone said. “Obviously, really neutralizes lefthanded hitters. But just a total pro in the [clubhouse] and definitely one of the leaders down there in that bullpen.”
What could have been
Aaron Judge, after a double, a three-run home run into the Yankees' bullpen, a two-run homer to right-center and a solo shot into the second deck in rightfield in his first four at-bats Friday night, made it 35 of 75 plate appearances in which he reached base during his last 17 games. Judge, who had two hits in Thursday’s victory over the Blue Jays, has reached base multiple times in 52 games this season, including 40 of his last 71 games. Judge has 35 home runs in 100 games, and despite missing 52 games while on the injured list, he entered Friday with the fifth-most homers in the AL and the sixth-most walks (80).
