NEW YORK — The Yankees called up Yerry De los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, he was on his way back.
De los Santos appeared in Tuesday’s 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, throwing two innings in mop-up duty and surrendering a solo home run to Yoan Moncada in the eighth. He threw 44 pitches. The Yankees optioned him back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre immediately after the game, leaving the bullpen one arm short heading into Wednesday’s series finale.
The Yankees will need to make another roster move to fill the vacancy. Right-hander Angel Chivilli, who has been dominant at the Triple-A level this season, is the expected call-up. The pattern is becoming familiar: a reliever struggles or piles up pitches, the Yankees dip back to Scranton, and the carousel turns again.
De los Santos replaced Bird, then lasted one appearance
De los Santos was called up in the first place to replace Jake Bird, who was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday after his ERA climbed to 7.71. Bird had given up a three-run home run to Mike Trout in the sixth inning of Monday’s 11-10 Yankees win over the Angels, a moment that effectively ended his big-league stint for now.
Boone was asked about Bird’s departure before Tuesday’s game and made a point of separating the personnel decision from any broader verdict on the right-hander’s value to the Yankees. The manager framed it as a roster maintenance call, not a permanent casting aside.
“It was more needing a fresh arm,” Boone said. “We think highly of Yerry though, too. He was a guy that almost made the club out of spring training. Obviously, Birdie had a tough one Monday night, but in a lot of winning games Jake Bird played a big role with some big innings, some big outs. I feel like that’s still very much in there and he’ll be an option as his 15 days comes up or a need arises.”
Chivilli expected to fill the vacancy after strong Triple-A stretch
The Yankees likely delayed calling up Chivilli for a day because he had already pitched two innings on Sunday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. With his arm fresher by Wednesday, he is now the leading candidate to join the Yankees bullpen.
Chivilli’s numbers at the Triple-A level this season have been difficult to argue with. Across five appearances, he has thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings. He has allowed just two hits, struck out nine batters, and walked two. The Yankees acquired him from the Colorado Rockies in December, and his early-season form in the minors has made the case for a promotion.
The Yankees have used the Triple-A shuttle heavily in the early weeks of 2026 as they search for bullpen combinations that hold up. Yerry De los Santos nearly made the opening-day roster out of spring training. His inability to hold a multi-run lead in Tuesday’s blowout made a quick return to the minors unavoidable.
Camilo Doval draws scrutiny as Yankees’ bullpen questions deepen
Beyond the immediate Bird-to-De los Santos-to-Chivilli rotation, a longer-term concern is forming around Camilo Doval. The right-hander, who came to the Yankees as a high-profile addition to the relief corps, has struggled to find consistency. Multiple reports have noted that Doval is now the next Yankees reliever drawing front-office scrutiny after Bird’s demotion, with his command issues putting him on increasingly thin ice.
The Yankees bullpen surrendered five solo home runs Tuesday night across multiple arms, matching the total the Yankees pitching staff had given up over the first 16 games of the season combined. De los Santos was responsible for one of them. The performance highlighted a depth problem that a single roster move cannot solve.
Boone defends the revolving door with a coverage argument
After the game, Boone was asked whether the constant movement through the bullpen reflected a deeper structural issue or simply the normal reality of managing a relief corps through early-season variance. His answer pointed to practicality rather than any admission of a systemic problem.
“But this was more the needing of some coverage,” Boone said.
That framing offers a tidy explanation but sidesteps the larger question. The Yankees are 9-8 through 17 games, having lost six of their last seven. The rotation has been more consistent than the bullpen, and the lineup has been streaky. The relief corps, however, has been the most unstable element of the roster in the opening weeks of the season.
Chivilli’s arrival will buy the Yankees some fresh innings. Whether his Triple-A form translates to the major league level, and whether the Yankees can stabilize a bullpen that has been reshuffled twice in two days, is the question hanging over the final game of this series and the days that follow.
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