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The Key Role the Yankees Quietly Locked Down this Spring
Feb 26, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Key Role the Yankees Quietly Locked Down this Spring

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo  |  Last updated Mar 25, 2026 9:21 AM ET

The New York Yankees did all their heavy lifting in the bullpen last July, which is why, when general manager Brian Cashman ignored the relief market on both the trade and free-agent fronts, it, by proxy, quietly set everybody's role. With Luke Weaver and Devin Williams off to Flushing, David Bednar has the closer role, which he ran with in 2025. As for his setup man, that likely goes to Camilo Doval.

This is no knock on the former all-star who once closed 39 games for the San Francisco Giants, but Doval is a bit of a wild card in this bullpen equation. His stuff is absolutely nasty, and there's no questioning that he can be utterly unhittable when he's on.

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The issue with him is that he sometimes has no control over where the ball goes after it comes out of his hands. It's why he lost his closer role in San Francisco in the first place.

In 2023, the year Doval made the all-star team, a 9.3 walk rate, which was in the 35th percentile, wasn't great, but it was manageable. It then spiked to 14.4% in 2024 and dipped slightly to 12.6% in 2025. Unfortunately, that incremental drop put him from a 1st percentile walk rate to a 3rd percentile last year.

The Doval Question Mark for Now

Double-digit walk rates are just unsustainable over the course of a long season, and, for a team that struggled to close out games last year, having one of the worst bullpens among playoff teams the previous year, it's alarming to know Doval will have such a prominent role. The Yankees' 4.37 bullpen ERA ranked 8th-worst in baseball. The only teams worse than them all missed the playoffs.

The Yankees indeed needed to let Williams go, but when they chased down the Blue Jays and went on that long winning streak to close the season, he was a huge reason they nearly reclaimed the top spot in the American League East. Bednar and Williams were a lockdown tandem. Until it's clear how Doval will look this season, it just feels like they never replaced his production.

For Doval to be the perfect eight-inning option behind Bednar, he'll have to put those walk woes behind him. Hopefully, that tiny sample size he showed this spring and at the WBC is a preview of what's to come.

Between the Yankees and Dominican Republic, Doval threw five innings. He struck out six and walked just one. The big hope is that it's a continuation of where Doval's control was at the end of last season.

In September, Doval tossed 7.1 innings. He struck out nine and walked just three. He did allow four earned runs as well, but considering how hard he throws, and how filthy he is, with more control, that is an easier fix than the walks.

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This article first appeared on New York Yankees on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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