May 17, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Fernando Cruz (63) reacts during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Relief Rotation Reaching Limit

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Delilah Bourque | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees have a pitching problem — and they need to fix it fast.

The hosts of popular Yankees podcast Talkin' Yanks discussed the Pinstripes' closing rotation, suggesting they pick up relievers sooner rather than later as the July 31 trade deadline looms.

"They can't continue to do what they've done these last couple of series where you're so limited in your decisions. Remember this time last year when they were so limited in their decisions it was just like, 'Well, it's [Luke] Weaver, [Michael] Tonkin or Clay [Holmes]. That's the only people alive: they will pitch'?" the hosts said.

"We're kind of getting to that area, but there's six options. You just burned three of them out over and over and then keep rotating; arms are pitching in spots arms shouldn't be pitching," they continued.

The Yankees need to trade for a reliever very soon pic.twitter.com/O2KzP90r8u
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 9, 2025

The Yankees have, in fact, been struggling with closing and relief pitching. The depth chart for relievers currently includes Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton and Jonathan Loaisiga. At closer is Devin Williams, who was the Pinstripes go-to at the beginning of the season, but was removed after an awful blown save against the Toronto Blue Jays in April.

Williams was replaced by Luke Weaver, who was doing a much better job, pitching a 1.05 ERA in 25.2 innings across 24 games. That's when disaster struck, and Weaver suffered a hamstring injury ahead of the Yankees' series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Weaver is closer to being able to return, shaky performances from closers put more pressure on relievers that are already being spread too thin.

Fortunately, there are plenty of options around the league, including former All-Star Félix Bautista from the Yankees' division rival, the Baltimore Orioles. Regardless of what decision New York makes about their relief pitching depth, they'll have to decide before the trade deadline next month.

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