Yankees Once Trusted Reliever Brent Headrick Showing Downward Trend

New York Yankees relief pitcher Brent Headrick (47) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Once Trusted Reliever Brent Headrick Showing Downward Trend

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated May 17, 2026 8:33 AM ET

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If there is ever a time that the New York Yankees need their bullpen to be a rock, it's now. Especially since Carlos Rodón is building up after missing the beginning of the season, and, at some point soon, Gerrit Cole will be in a similar position. While both have been workhorses throughout their career, they may not be dependable in the early goings of their returns, and that has been the case with Rodón, who has worn out fast after going through the order once in both starts.

Brent Headrick's decline could not have come at a worse time, either. When Rodón got a quick pull yesterday, it was going to be a battle of the bullpens, and the Mets capitalized on what's been a glaring weakness for the team since last season.

Headrick, in particular, is concerning because he has been Aaron Boone's fireman but has now started to get knocked around. He has allowed runs in each of his last three outings. Coming into the game against the Brewers on May 9th, when this slide began, he had allowed runs in three outings all season.

His ugliest moment came against the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week. Coby Mayo, who walked into that game with a sub-.600 OPS, crushed him for a three-run blast. Headrick hung a slider down the heart of the plate. The Yankees never recovered from that.

Coby Mayo makes it 3-2 Baltimore after the home run pic.twitter.com/EfeRmlUG5D
— Lucas Parmenter (@Lucasparmenter0) May 12, 2026

Then, against the Mets, with the score still just 3-2, Carson Benge got a hit off of Jake Bird. Bird then got Bo Bichette to pop out, and Boone went to Headrick. Headrick immediately walked Juan Soto. Mark Vientos then crushed a splitter that he left down the heart of the plate, allowing both runs to score. Vientos, just like Mayo, isn't exactly an All-Star.

Hard contact

With Headrick, the issue has been command. He ended up striking out three against the Mets, but his mistakes have been getting crushed all week.

One noticeable trend with Headrick is the hard contact. Before this slide began, hitters had just two barreled balls off of him all season. Both came before April 4th. Now, against the Brewers, Orioles, and Mets, hitters have matched his total that he has had all year with two.

It's easy to say the Yankees should option him or drop him further down the trust tree, but there isn't anybody available on the big-league roster who can step in for him. Outside of Headrick, the best relievers on the Yankees are Jake Bird and Tim Hill, and this trio, though effective at times this season, is a far cry from Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman. It's no knock on them, though, because they're filling in the gap left by Camilo Doval, who is still struggling to find consistency.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The names in the pen aren't striking fear in teams, and Saturday night's game against the Mets is a sign that, once again, they need help. It's not just at the top, either, but in those middle innings as well.

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

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