Yankees Should Give Left-Handed Reliever Bigger Role

As Luke Weaver, Devin Williams and Jonathan Loaisiga all hit free agency, the New York Yankees have some work to do in order to reshape their bullpen in a competitive manner ahead of the 2026 season.

David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Tim Hill are set to return and should all handle big roles next year, but left-hander Brent Headrick is flying a bit under the radar after an impressive 2025 campaign.

Headrick was among the Yankees' most consistent relievers when healthy, and considering he's still in pre-arbitration, there's no reason he can't become a staple of the club's bullpen for many seasons to come.

Headrick's 2025 Season

New York claimed Headrick off waivers from the Minnesota Twins, who selected him in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, as the club's pitchers and catchers were reporting to spring training on February 11.

He made the team's Opening Day roster as one of three lefty relievers alongside Hill and Ryan Yarbrough. After allowing no runs over his first four appearances of the season, though, he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 6.

Headrick was brought back up to the majors on May 22 and turned in back-to-back scoreless performances before the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three runs against him on May 31. He was subsequently was optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre nearly two weeks later on June 12.

The 27-year-old sustained an injury while with the affiliate, but he returned to the big leagues in late July and made six appearances before suffering a forearm contusion that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

Despite that, Headrick made a great first impression in New York. Across 17 outings and 23 innings, he logged a 3.13 ERA with 30 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP while boasting some impressive advanced stats.