SAN FRANCISCO — When the Yankees traded for Camilo Doval last July, they expected a dominant setup man who could bridge the gap to the ninth inning. What they got instead, at least initially, was a reliever who struggled badly to adjust.
Doval allowed 10 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings across his first 16 games in pinstripes. He walked batters at a 12.6 percent clip. He looked lost without the closer role he had owned in San Francisco, where he saved 39 games in 2023.
Two games into 2026, something has changed. And the Yankees bullpen may be better for it.
Yankees get the Doval they traded for
Doval struck out the side in order in the eighth inning of Friday’s 3-0 win over the Giants at Oracle Park. He needed just 12 pitches to retire Heliot Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey, generating five whiffs on eight swings against him.
It was his second strong outing of the young season. Doval also retired the Giants in order during Wednesday’s 7-0 Opening Night victory, closing that game by striking out the side as well.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone called Friday’s performance “dominant.”
“That’s what he’s capable of,” Boone said. “He kind of overmatched them.”
Doval said through an interpreter that he has become “comfortable” in his new environment and role.
“I felt really good,” the right-hander added of Friday’s outing.
A retooled sinker is driving the Yankees reliever’s early dominance
The raw talent was never the question with Doval. His Statcast data has consistently shown elite spin rates, above-average movement profiles and contact suppression numbers that suggest hitters are uncomfortable when he is locked in. The issue was always delivery and command.
The Yankees pitching staff has been working with Doval on a specific adjustment since he arrived in camp. The focus has been on his sinker, his best ground-ball pitch. The goal is more downward movement, sharper late action and fewer pitches that drift into hittable zones.
Friday offered the first real evidence the work is translating. The sinker was noticeably sharper than anything Doval showed during his time with the Giants. It generated swing-and-miss at the bottom of the zone rather than weak contact. That, in turn, makes his cutter twice as disruptive because the sinker forces hitters to adjust their eye level lower.
Doval’s ground ball rate last season sat in the 91st percentile, which is elite. If the Yankees can pair that with improved command and a sinker that produces more whiffs, they may have found the setup arm they envisioned when they made the trade.
Yankees bullpen needed this after offseason losses
The urgency around Doval’s development is real. The Yankees lost both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the Mets in free agency. Those departures stripped the back end of the bullpen of two proven arms and left the Yankees relying on a group that still has question marks.
David Bednar has settled into the closer role and handled it cleanly through the first two games. But the Yankees need a reliable bridge to get the ball to Bednar with the lead intact. That is the role Doval was acquired to fill.
The rest of the Yankees bullpen is still sorting itself out. Fernando Cruz and lefty Tim Hill combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings Friday in relief of Cam Schlittler. Jake Bird and Rule 5 acquisition Cade Winquest are among the right-handers Boone has available, though neither carries the pedigree Doval does.
There is also the possibility that young prospect Carlos Lagrange, whom the Yankees want to keep as a starter for as long as possible, could eventually move to the bullpen if his minor league workload climbs too high.
Doval’s rocky Yankees tenure is worth remembering
The struggles last season were real and prolonged. After the trade from San Francisco on July 31, Doval could not find his footing in non-save situations with the Yankees. He walked too many batters and gave up too many runs during a stretch that tested the organization’s patience.
He did finish the 2025 regular season on a strong note, pitching five scoreless innings over his final six appearances. That late run gave the Yankees reason to believe the adjustment period was ending rather than becoming permanent.
Doval is under Yankees team control through 2028, so the investment is long-term. The organization does not need him to be a closer. It needs him to be a reliable eighth-inning arm who can hand Bednar a clean game.
Two outings do not make a verdict for the Yankees
Boone and the Yankees coaching staff know better than to draw sweeping conclusions from two spring-to-early-season appearances. The sample is tiny. The competition will stiffen.
But what Doval showed Friday against his former team, attacking the zone, generating whiffs, making hitters look awkward, was exactly what the Yankees needed to see. The Yankees bullpen has the potential to be a strength if Doval can sustain what he has shown in these first two games.
Through two outings, the version of Doval the Yankees traded for has finally arrived. Whether he stays is the question that will define the back end of this bullpen for months to come.
What do you think?
