The New York Yankees are back to playing great baseball after a worrisome August skid.
They have won seven of their last ten games and look to be rounding into form at the right time.
They do have, however, one big question mark entering the playoffs: their bullpen.
The unit used to be the best in MLB, but injuries and underperforming stars have affected their depth.
Clay Holmes is currently out with a shoulder strain, Zack Britton is showing left arm fatigue, Chad Green and Michael King were lost for the year, and now another top reliever is joining the injured list.
“The #Yankees place reliable reliever Ron Marinaccio on the IL with a stress reaction in his right shin. ‘It’s a blow,’ manager Aaron Boone says. He will be out at least until the ALCS if #Yankees advance past the division series,” Bob Nightengale tweeted, quoting Boone.
The #Yankees place reliable reliever Ron Marinaccio on the IL with a stress reaction in his right shin. ‘It’s a blow,’ manager Aaron Boone says. He will be out at least until the ALCS if #Yankees advance past the division series.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 4, 2022
Losing Marinaccio Is A Blow To The Yankees’ Hopes
Marinaccio, a rookie, had been a revelation for the Bombers.
He posted a strong 2.05 ERA in 44 innings, with 56 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP.
He doesn’t have a triple-digit fastball, but does own an incredible effective changeup and an improving slider to make him very tough to hit.
Unfortunately, he won’t be available for the Yankees during their first playoffs matchup.
The team earned the right to skip the AL Wild Card round and will enter play in the Division Series.
Marinaccio won’t be ready for any of those: if he recovers quickly and the Yankees make it out of the ALDS alive, he could become an option for the Championship Series.
It’s yet another blow for a team that is running out of Plan Bs.
NEXT: Yankees Analyst Believes There Is An Easy Severino Decision