NEW YORK — Aaron Boone did not need many words to capture the Yankees’ bullpen problem Saturday.
With Carlos Rodon starting the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox and Max Fried returning from the injured list for the nightcap, neither left-hander entered the day positioned to provide the length New York badly needed. MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch wrote that when Boone was asked how he planned to navigate the bullpen load, the Yankees manager “essentially responded with the shrug emoji.”
It was a light description of a serious problem.
The Yankees are not simply choosing who should pitch the seventh inning. Their rotation is repeatedly forcing games into the bullpen early, Fernando Cruz could be lost for the season, and several arms are being asked to absorb innings without the benefit of stable roles.
Saturday turned that uncertainty into 18 innings of evidence. Rodon lasted 4 2/3 innings in a 6-0 loss in Game 1. Fried managed 3 2/3 innings in the Yankees’ 9-2 victory in Game 2. Together, the two starters recorded only 25 of the 54 outs New York needed.
That left Boone’s bullpen responsible for 29 outs, or 9 2/3 innings, in one day. The Yankees survived the workload and finished Saturday at 77-59, three games ahead of Boston for the American League’s top wild-card position. The larger question is how often they can keep asking the bullpen to rescue short starts.
One doubleheader exposes Yankees’ innings problem
Justin Topa offered perhaps the clearest snapshot of the churn. He worked a scoreless sixth inning in the opener after Rodon’s departure. Before the second game, the Yankees designated him for assignment to clear a roster spot for Fried.
A pitcher needed to help cover Game 1 was no longer on the active roster by Game 2.
Yerry De los Santos pitched in both games. Paul Blackburn, who had already worked 1 2/3 innings Friday, entered the nightcap after Fried departed with runners on first and second and nobody out. Blackburn stranded both runners, struck out two and earned the win.
The Yankees were able to avoid using closer David Bednar in the 9-2 victory after a five-run eighth created breathing room. But Boone again had to bridge more than five innings after a starter failed to reach the fourth inning’s end.
That is the distinction in the current Yankees bullpen. The club has pitchers who can get outs. What it lacks is predictable workload from the rotation, which prevents Boone from assigning clean, repeatable relief roles.
Fernando Cruz removes another late-inning safety valve
The problem became more severe when Cruz landed on the injured list. An MRI revealed a partial tear of the right ulnar collateral ligament, and season-ending surgery remains possible. Cruz is seeking a second opinion before determining the next step.
The 36-year-old had made 61 appearances and carried a 3.13 ERA before being shut down. His absence removes an experienced leverage option from a bullpen already being asked to cover extra innings.
Kervin Castro is on the 60-day injured list with right elbow neuritis. Ryan Weathers is sidelined by a left forearm flexor strain. Clarke Schmidt began a minor league rehabilitation assignment Saturday after Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees are preparing him to return as a reliever rather than a fully stretched-out starter.
That leaves Boone piecing together innings with Bednar, Blackburn, Brent Headrick, Tim Hill, De los Santos, Ryan Yarbrough and recently added Michael Fulmer, among others.
When Fulmer joined the Yankees, Boone acknowledged that there would be little runway for a gradual introduction.
“They’re probably going to jump into the deep end,” Boone said.
That has become an apt description of the entire relief corps.
The rotation keeps transferring pressure downstream
The Yankees’ bullpen issue cannot be separated from the rotation.
Rodon has made three starts since returning from an elbow-related absence and has yet to work beyond the fifth inning. He threw 88 pitches Saturday but recorded only 14 outs. The results have generally limited damage, but the workload still shifts innings to the bullpen.
Fried returned Saturday after another injured-list stint caused by a bone bruise in his left elbow. He needed 63 pitches to get 11 outs in the nightcap, allowing two runs before Boone turned to Blackburn.
That creates a problem bigger than any single reliever. A bullpen can survive one short start. It can even absorb two in a doubleheader. But repeated four-inning and five-inning starts force managers to use relievers in situations they would normally avoid, especially during a postseason race.
New York gives the ball to Will Warren in Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. finale against Boston. The season series is tied 6-6, making the game decisive for the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Yankees then travel to Anaheim to open a series against the Angels on Monday night.
There is almost no recovery window.
Boone’s shrug captures Yankees’ October concern
The Yankees have found unexpected bullpen answers. Blackburn has become one of Boone’s most useful escape options. Bednar remains established at the back end. Headrick has given the club another dependable left-handed choice.
But October pitching staffs depend on defined leverage roles and enough length from starters to protect those roles. The Yankees are not operating that way yet.
Schmidt could eventually give Boone another arm. Fried and Rodon could build deeper into games. Cruz could receive encouraging news from his second opinion. September roster expansion will provide some flexibility.
For now, Boone is managing one inning into the next.
That is why Hoch’s shrug-emoji description resonated. It did not literally mean the Yankees have no bullpen strategy. It captured the uncomfortable reality that the plan can be rewritten before the next inning begins.
With September arriving and the postseason race tightening, “push” can work as an emergency instruction. The Yankees still need something more sustainable before October.
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