Aroldis Chapman is back with the New York Yankees.
After missing a little over a month with tendinitis in his left Achilles, Chapman is back and ready to contribute in New York’s bullpen.
His role is going to be slightly different, however.
As opposed to being thrust back into the closer’s role, he will be used more as a setup man, with right-hander Clay Holmes, who has been unhittable lately, remaining in the closer’s role.
USA Today’s top MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported the news about Chapman being placed in a different role upon his return from the injured list.
Aroldis Chapman returns to the #Yankees today in a setup role with Clay Holmes remaining as closer.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 1, 2022
Chapman Returns
Chapman is 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 17 appearances this season for the Yankees.
He lost the closer’s job in late May when he went down with his injury.
Holmes has performed extremely well in Chapman’s absence and has been the closer ever since Chapman went down.
Chapman just hasn’t been quite as dominant this year as he has been in years past.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t still a viable part of the Yankees bullpen.
New York will benefit greatly from having the veteran left-hander back and healthy.
He and Holmes could form a deadly one-two punch at the back end of that bullpen, which would make it extremely tough for teams to come back late against these Yankees.
The 34-year-old will likely still be used in high-leverage situations.
The only difference is that he will be used in a setup role, while Holmes remains in the closer’s role for the Bronx Bombers.
We’ll see what happens next.
With Chapman back, the Yankees are getting a powerful bullpen arm with the ability to come through in high-leverage spots.
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