The New York Yankees’ bullpen took a major hit Sunday night at Dodger Stadium when closer Luke Weaver tweaked his hamstring during a post-warmup stretch, rendering him unavailable for the ninth inning. The injury, reported by ESPN, is expected to sideline Weaver for four to six weeks, with the right-hander likely heading to the injured list on Tuesday.
“Hoping it’s not too serious,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday night while Weaver was still receiving treatment, before the team returned to New York. The loss of Weaver, who had solidified the closer role, disrupts the back end of the Yankees’ bullpen and forces a reshuffling of high-leverage arms.
Stepping back into the closer role is Devin Williams, who lost the job to Weaver in late April after a shaky start to the season. Since then, Williams has regained his form, allowing no runs in 13 of his last 15 appearances. His lone save opportunity during that stretch came last week against the Angels, when Weaver was unavailable after pitching on consecutive days. Williams surrendered two runs but secured a 3-2 victory. On Sunday, he delivered a sharp eighth inning in a 6-3 game, striking out Hyesong Kim and Teoscar Hernández while inducing a groundout from Shohei Ohtani.
Williams’ early-season struggles saw his swing-and-miss ability falter, but he rediscovered it in May, boasting a 34.8 percent whiff rate, placing him in the 95th percentile. “He pitches with an edge out there,” Boone noted last week. “Even early on when he had some struggles, it felt like a similar edge. I just think he’s commanding the ball and now into the rhythm and flow of the season and has gotten into a good groove.” With Weaver sidelined, Williams’ resurgence makes him the likely candidate to handle ninth-inning duties.
The Yankees’ bullpen will also gain a boost with Fernando Cruz expected to return from the injured list on Tuesday, following a two-week absence due to shoulder inflammation. Cruz’s return provides Boone with another late-inning option. Additionally, Mark Leiter Jr. has been performing well, giving Boone flexibility to mix and match relievers based on matchups in the ninth inning if needed.
As the Yankees navigate this challenging period without Weaver, the combination of Williams’ rediscovered form, Cruz’s return, and Leiter’s reliability offers hope that the bullpen can weather the storm until their closer returns.