The New York Yankees made a trade for Ryan Weathers to bolster the rotation, but his role with the team is uncertain.
Weathers was expected to fill out the rotation while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon were injured to begin the season. However, the left-hander has had mixed results, and all signs point to him going to the bullpen.
Not only will Weathers be going to the bullpen, but MLB analyst Bob Klapisch of NJ.com wonders if he will even be a high-leverage reliever.
“Is he the little-noticed talent who Cashman considers a potential gold mine? Or a hard thrower with a blistering fastball … and not much else? The jury has not yet returned a verdict,” Klapisch wrote. “But Weathers was unable to get out of the fourth inning, leaving the Yankees in a 4-0 hole. With a 4.50 ERA, the question isn’t whether the lefthander is headed to the bullpen at some point. He is. Can Weathers be trusted in high-leverage situations?”
Weathers is 0-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 3 starts this season, and had a stellar outing on Thursday against the Athletics. In the start prior, he went just 3.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on six hits against the Marlins.
If Weathers does go to the bullpen, what his role would be is uncertain, as Ryan Yarbrough is the longman lefty out of the bullpen. So Weathers may have to be a high-leverage reliever. However, Klapisch wonders if Weathers can be a high-leverage reliever.
Yankees Manager Pleased With Weathers
Weathers entered his third start of the season against the Athletics after two lackluster outings.
However, the left-hander had a stellar start, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised the left-hander for saving the bullpen.
“We used our bullpen a lot. That’s the silver lining here – it kind of reset those (relievers) a little bit. We got a really strong outing from Ryan,” Boone said.
Weathers, meanwhile, felt like his mechanics were much better in this start as he’s finally starting to get back to his true self.
“My mechanics were a little more fluid. … I was working on being more fluid on the mound. It really helps when my mind is relaxed and I trust myself,” Weathers said. “You can do it all day in the bullpen, playing catch. But until you do it in a game — now I know what that feeling is like of just being calm on the mound. Hopefully, I can keep throwing strikes.”
The Yankees acquired Weathers for four minor-league prospects this offseason.
Weathers Expected to go to Bullpen
With Cole and Rodon getting close to a return, and Luis Gil returning to the rotation, Weathers is expected to go to the bullpen.
Once the Yankees’ rotation is fully healthy, Klapisch believes Will Warren will win the final rotation spot. Meaning, Gil and Weathers will be shifted to the bullpen.
“It’s likely Luis Gil and Ryan Weathers will become long-term relievers and that (Will) Warren will be the official winner of the No. 5-slot sweepstakes,” Klapisch wrote of the looming rotation changes.
Yet, Weathers made the decision a bit harder after his solid performance on April 9 against the Athletics.
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