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Yankees Announce Roster Move After Sunday’s Loss to Pirates

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Apr 7, 2025 7:34 AM ET

At least for now, Brent Headrick won’t be the man tasked with saving the New York Yankees’ struggling bullpen.

The Yankees demoted Headrick, who joined the club in February, to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday evening. The 27-year-old lefty struck out four across two scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 11-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Headrick’s departure opens a spot for veteran reliever Adam Ottavino, who will rejoin the Yankees in Detroit. The Yankees had released Ottavino earlier Sunday before re-signing the 15-year veteran only hours later.

Headrick had quietly emerged as a potential budding contributor in the Yankees’ bullpen. A 2019 ninth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins, Headrick allowed only one hit and struck out nine over 5.1 scoreless innings.

Headrick is 3-0 with a 5.03 ERA across 34 career innings with the Yankees and Twins.

It’s already been a frustrating start for the Yankees’ pitching staff, which entered play Monday with a 4.37 ERA; the league average thus far is 4.14. Seven pitchers on the active roster have at least a 5.40 ERA.

An ERA can easily be misleading over a season’s first nine games. However, we can’t say the same about control; only four teams have walked more hitters than the Yankees’ 40.

Yankees pitchers average 4.4 walks per game, trailing only the Dodgers (4.9 per game) Athletics (and 4.8) in the early going. However, the Dodgers have played 11 games, one more than the Yankees and A's.

Conversely, Headrick only walked two of the 19 batters he faced.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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