Jun 11, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Brent Headrick (47) pitches during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Yankees Excited by Left-Handed Reliever's Potential

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Nov 15, 2025 7:00 AM ET

After displaying immense upside in his first year with the New York Yankees, the organization is optimistic about what Brent Headrick could bring to the table in 2026.

According to the New York Post's Greg Joyce, the Yankees believe that Headrick's first full offseason both as a reliever and within their pitching program could work wonders for him.

The Yankees are intrigued to see what Brent Headrick can do out of the bullpen next season, especially after his first offseason as a full-time reliever and in their pitching program," Joyce wrote. "The left-hander had bounced between starting and relieving before arriving to the Yankees last spring, then made all 37 appearances in 2025 (split between Triple-A and the big leagues) in relief.

"In shorter bursts, the Yankees saw Headrick’s velocity tick up, which made him more of a weapon. It sounds like he is going to get a chance to be the club’s second lefty reliever behind Tim Hill."

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Headrick's 2025 Season

Headrick joined the Yankees after they claimed him waivers from the Minnesota Twins in February as the club's pitchers and catchers were en route to spring training.

He ended up cracking the club's Opening Day roster, and while he did not give up any runs over his first four appearances of the campaign, however, he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 6.

The 27-year-old was later recalled on May 22 and subsequently tossed consecutive scoreless outings before the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three runs against him on May 31. He was then sent back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a little under two weeks later on June 12.

Headrick suffered an injury upon returning to the RailRiders, but he made his way back to the majors in late July and made six appearances for the Yankees. He'd go on to suffer a forearm contusion, though, which kept him off the field for the rest of the season.

When it was all said and done, Headrick finished with a 3.13 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 23 innings at the big-league level in 2025 for New York.

Why Yankees Should Be Excited About Headrick

Relievers are infamously volatile, but there are reasons to believe Headrick can replicate the success he found this year and keep on improving heading into the 2026 campaign.

He closed out the year with a 40.6 percent chase rate, which would've placed among the top marks in the league had he pitched enough to qualify, while also turning in an elite whiff rate of 34.1 percent.

Additionally, Headrick's expected batting average against finished at .211 to go alongside an expected ERA of 3.23, serving as proof that his numbers were not a product of luck or overperformance across a small sample size.

The Yankees have quite a few openings in their bullpen, and Headrick should challenge for a sizable role within it next season if all goes to plan.

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