The New York Yankees are piecing together a new bullpen this season. After a disastrous run as the closer, Clay Holmes signed with the New York Mets as a starter. Tommy Kahnle is out the door, and Cody Poteet went to the Chicago Cubs in the Cody Bellinger trade. One piece coming back from injury is Scott Effross, but he left the Yankees spring training game Tuesday with another issue.
“Scott Effross sustained an injury on his first pitch against the Twins in Fort Myers. He is leaving the game,” MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reported.
Effross was excellent in 13 appearances after coming to the Yankees from the Cubs in 2022. He was not available for the playoffs that year and missed the entire 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. His recovery lasted into 2024, when he only pitched three games. Now after one pitch, he could be back on the shelf.
“The severity of the injury is unknown, but Effross grabbed his hamstring area before walking off with a team trainer,” Nick Mongiovi of AMNY Sports reported. That is a slight relief for the Yankees, as his elbow is not an issue once again. There is plenty of time until Opening Day, but they cannot count on Effross.
The Yankees’ bullpen trust tree in spring training
The Yankees made one of the most significant bullpen acquisitions of the offseason by trading for Devin Williams. While he had a rough end to his last season in Milwaukee, he has been a phenomenal regular-season closer. Now that he has been the catalyst for the facial hair policy changing, he will take his rightful place in the closer role.
Right ahead of Williams, 2024 playoff superstar Luke Weaver and a rehabbing Jonathan Loáisiga will lock down the late innings. Weaver was a revelation last year and was important because of Loáisiga’s elbow injury. When he comes back, they will create a dynamic duo.
Lefty Tim Hill is back, as is Mark Leiter who came over at the trade deadline last year. The Yankees also traded for Fernando Cruz, who was a dominant pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. While Effross would be a great addition to this pen but they have enough depth to deal with another injury.
It has been a disappointing career for Effross, who has tremendous talent but cannot stay on the field. If he comes back in spring training or early in the season he could finally have the breakthrough season everyone knows he can have.
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