The Yankees have placed Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to yesterday, per the team. In a corresponding move, Nick Nelson has been recalled from Triple-A.
It hasn’t been Chapman’s best season on the whole, but he had seemed to figure some things out of late. He had posted seven consecutive scoreless outings going back to July 21st. In fact, since allowing nine earned runs across three outings at the end of June, Chapman has posted a 0.82 ERA over his last 11 innings.
Nelson, 25, has been burned for 14 earned runs across 13 1/3 innings in 10 appearances (2 starts) this season. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, however, where he owns a 3.50 ERA across 36 innings with 46 strikeouts to 18 walks.
With Chapman out, the Yankees will likely turn to Chad Green to close games. Green has three saves on the year to go with 15 holds and a 3.21 ERA/3.45 FIP in 56 innings of work. Alternatively, veteran Zack Britton has plenty of experience closing, and he does appear to be rounding himself into form with a 2.57 ERA over his past seven outings. Jonathan Loaisiga also has three saves this season with a 2.53 ERA and 13 holds.
Is he still their closer? Even if he does blow saves, he is still valuable to the bullpen
See the last paragraph.
*second
Britton and Green have been anything but reliable. I’d go with Johnny Lasagna. Good chance to see if can be the closer of the future.
Loaisiga has been fire. Twice fangraphs wrote an article on “finding the next Josh Hader”. Twice they landed on him as the most likely.
You’re right though, @Joe.
Chapman & Britton have been a pretty sketchy endgame.
But they look to be bouncing back. Which we definitely need to happen.
Yesterday really showed me what good work Cash has done with this pen. Holmes & Rodríguez are both good match up guys. When the dust settles, I think this is going to be the deepest ‘pen we’ve seen in the AL since that ’18 Oakland club.
Imagine if we could have held on to Cessa too. Alas. Money stuff.
Just gotta keep winning series. Even in the face of all these injuries & illness.
You’re the eternal optimist Ducky. I was that way until this year. I agree Cashman did an outstanding job at the deadline but he should have kept Cessa.
I can’t seem to be any other way.
That being acknowledged, I really do like this pen. It’ll be 6+ deep in the postseason & a Real Weapon.
Cessa was the price of dumping Wilson. Shame that the most valuable (by *billions* of dollars) franchise in MLB couldn’t just pay that down or eat it.
Same goes for Homer Heaney.
We could have done better there. Bring back Big Mike, for example.
It seems Cash was given a mandate to make the playoffs but stay under $210MM in payroll. I think he threaded the needle. I would have liked to have seen Hal pay a few mil in CBT fines because we would have been a much stronger ballclub.
But I would also “like” to play QB for the Giants. So.
Yep Ducky, you keep being positive. Me, I’m watching every game feeling like Randy Quaid’s character from Major League 2.
It might be one of the deepest Yankee pens but in the AL the Rays have a better Pen and they just got McHugh back.
If Chapman & Britton continue to struggle, I would agree the Ray’s ‘pen is “better”. Assuming those guys will straighten out I would beg to differ.
As opposed to TB, the Yanks have channeled a whole lot of loot into their relievers. & it shows. I’m also using the term “depth” as sheer number of useful relief pitchers.
D’accord, @TalkSomeSense.
But it certainly helps. Read an article on fangraphs on the topic of building a bullpen via free agency a couple years ago.
They found that relying on free agent relievers was fairly sketchy. They threw out the Rockies, re-ran the numbers & found…the same thing.
However.
They also found that signing elite relievers is typically a sound use of resources.
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My caveat is assuming Chapman & Britton will – in the end – pitch to the back of their baseball cards. Thus locking down the 8th & 9th.
Meaning:
– A bridge of Greene, Loaisiga, & Luetge. All guys that can go more than an inning & have much different styles of doing so. 2 RH & a lefty.
– Add Holmes & Rodríguez as match up guys.
– Bubble arms; Abreu, Peralta, Ridings. They’ve shown flashes. & Ridings has shown a 100 mph FB.
– & that’s before one begins to take into account adding young staters like Gil to the pen for the stretch. Which – granted – the Yanks don’t typically do.
That matches up – indeed shows more depth & high end ability – than anyone that I’ve seen this season. & that includes the damn Ray’s.
Edit: your post disappeared, bro.
Excellent call on Loaisiga for the save.
I’d’ve gone Name Brand there & called for Britton.
Liked what Holmes (in particular) & Rodríguez did this afternoon. Pick & choose your spots with those guys & they will be solid complimentary bullpen pieces.
Chance at the rare 4 game sweep tomorrow, Joe. Gotta get past their ace though.
Man, I enjoy watching this team so much more post deadline, serious.
Been a tough year for him
Hasn’t been the same since Andrew Vaughn took him deep
Once again Adam Warren passed up for a promotion. Yankees probably waiting for rosters to expand
While I’d rather see Warren than Nelson, Warren doesn’t have good numbers in AAA and I don’t think he’s on the 40 man roster.
Adam Warren has been getting rocked in AAA. There is a reason he’s not been called up.
Warren has given up 34 hits and 24BB in 37.2IP, WHIP of 1.54 even though ERA is 2.87. Way too many base runners.
-Plus he’s not on the 40-man roster so someone needs to be DFA’d if they promote him.
TJ
On Thursday night Chapman was not at his best. He hung a curve ball to Haniger that Haniger almost hit it out of the park. Reminded me of the pitch to Santana in the World Series.
Now that he has a silver medal, how long before David Robertson (The Escape Artist) appears in the Yankee bullpen? I would think that a prorated contract for the rest of the season would still fit nicely under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold.
Loaisaga is their closer of the future. I’d bump him into that role, and promote Abreu to fill Loaisaga’s spot.
Chapman’s elbow isn’t the only Yankees pitching concern. I’m watching Andrew Heaney make the M’s look like an offensive juggernaut. Jarred Kelenic (two doubles) owns him. Heaney needs to be out of the rotation, right?
Heaney has a knack for making teams look good offensively. He has high spin rates and gets lots of Ks, but he misses over the plate way too often. Its ok, and common, to miss your spot, just miss in the right spot.
If Heaney was the best Cashman could do at the TD shame on him. I guess no one else fit under the tax threshold since that’s all Yankees care about. Definitely been enjoying the Yankees mojo lately. I’ve said all along they needed some lefty hitters to balance out the lineup. Now If only the Yankees had a legitimate lead off hitter with speed LOOK OUT ALL OF MLB. Bring Greg Allen back up. He’s a spark plug.
Heaney is just a flier to rent a rotation spot until they normalize again. No way Cashman thought of him as a long-term solution for a deep run a month after the Yankees destroyed him in Yankee stadium.
Anyone who is wondering why Heaney is starting games for us is probably some kind of wind bag Dodgers fan all caught up in the Trevor Bauer drama or some such.
Cole & Montgomery are on the Covid IL.
Sevy, Kluber, German, & Schmidt are on the…uh, Regular IL.
Let’s also not lose sight of the fact that – although ugly – Heaney kept us in the ball game this afternoon. & he saved sone wear on the ‘pen at the same time.
Whom exactly are the Yanks supposed to be starting right now? Me?
“Heaney needs to be out of the rotation” is such a stupid “take”, uh?
100% correct right here.
This was meant for ducky, right above me.
Women beater tbh
Loaisiga is the man! Green is good for some K’s, but he adds a walk to that inning with a home run.