Erik Boland: Yankees' bullpen difficult to read early on, but don't write it off yet
Yankees relief pitcher Jake Bird reacts as he walks off the field after being removed from a game against the Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 5, 2026. Credit: Brad Penner
What the Yankees say in public and what they feel in private sometimes match up.
For instance, when Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone stated throughout the spring the Yankees collectively felt as good about the club’s starting pitching depth as they have in years, it reflected how the organization felt behind the scenes.
“There’s reason to feel that way [this year],” one club insider said toward the end of the spring of rotation depth. “That hasn’t always been the case.”
The bullpen, meanwhile, entered the spring with question marks — other than closer David Bednar — and left camp the same way, something Boone gave voice to just before the regular season started.
“Guys need to establish roles and establish themselves in the bullpen, especially early on,” Boone said on March 24. “There’s some competition for some spots for guys to elevate themselves or grab some roles.”
Other than an initial burst of excellence out of the gate, that remained the case 17 games into the season.
“Still a work in progress,” Boone said before Wednesday night’s game against the Angels at the Stadium.
Boone quickly pivoted.
“Coming out (of the spring), I think the talking point or whatever was the question marks around our ‘pen, guys establishing roles,” he said. “But I think it’s important to point out, one of the reasons we’ve won a lot of games has been that the bullpen’s been able to close out some games. There’s been a couple of days where we haven’t pitched well down there, and then it’s like, ‘see, it’s a concern.’ And, really, most days they’ve been excellent, in some close games, too.”
Boone just as quickly pivoted back, maybe recognizing the “talking point” he referenced with a touch of condescension was one he himself spoke of a few weeks before.
“Look, we’ve got to continue to figure it out,” he said. “Guys are going to continue to get real opportunities to establish roles and hopefully, as this month unfolds and as this first half of the season unfolds, some guys emerge as real key figures down there.”
Jake Bird, a trade deadline dud last season, threw the ball well in the spring and started strong before crashing. He was sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier in the week with a 7.71 ERA in eight appearances. Righthander Yerry De los Santos replaced Bird and, after allowing a run in Tuesday night’s loss to the Angels, was sent back to Scranton, replaced by righthander Angel Chivilli.
Now, as Boone correctly said, the unit hasn’t been a train wreck. Righty Paul Blackburn, before allowing three hits and a run Tuesday, has been solid overall. Splitter specialist Fernando Cruz has been better than solid, as has lefthander Brent Headrick, who has a 1.93 ERA in 11 games (though, as, at this pace, he’ll be gassed by late May). Longman Ryan Yarbrough has been good and soft-tossing lefty Tim Hill has a 1.13 ERA in eight games. Bednar hasn’t yet hit his stride, but nonetheless is 5-for-6 in saves.
Entering Wednesday, the bullpen ranked a middle-of-the-pack 13th in the majors with a 3.75 ERA. And the Yankees poor play of late — losing seven of their last nine — can be pinned almost exclusively on a yet-to-fire offense.
But a standout bullpen often is a matter of the old pre-Tonight Show Johnny Carson gameshow “Who Do You Trust?”
And currently, other than Bednar, the number of relievers who are truly trustworthy isn’t what it needs to be.
The unit needs more swing-and-miss and, speaking of missing, the glaring need is a lockdown setup reliever for Bednar. Righty Camilo Doval, bad after being brought over from the Giants at last year’s trade deadline, was supposed to be that. But, after a promising start, he has a 7.36 ERA in nine games.
It is obligatory to mention the season isn’t yet 20 games old. And, as Cashman often says, “bullpens are volatile,” meaning their performance can vary greatly from year-to-year, month-to-month, week-to-week, even day-to-day.
But teams that have dramatic in-season variations in performance typically aren’t very good and the good teams experiencing that need to make significant tweaks to keep a season from sinking. The Yankees ‘pen, even if it was performing consistently well, is sure to undergo significant changes in the coming months when Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole return to the rotation. Their returns likely mean hard-throwing lefty Ryan Weathers will join the bullpen, as will, eventually, Will Warren or Luis Gil.
Seed-throwing righty Carlos Lagrange, the touted starting pitching prospect who threw 102 mph in the spring and who is off to a solid start with Scranton, appears destined to be a relief option in the second half. And there is always the Aug. 3 trade deadline where needs can be addressed.
But the bullpen now?
Still, as Boone said, very much a work in progress.
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.
