The New York Yankees, outside of Aaron Judge, have been largely carried by their pitching staff.
The starting staff has been nearly unhittable with the dominant trio of Nestor Cortes, Gerrit Cole, and Jameson Taillon.
The bullpen has also been quite dominant, with Clay Holmes paving the way for the Yanks to close out games.
But they have been without their star closer Aroldis Chapman for a little while.
He is on the 15-day injured list with left Achilles tendinitis.
However, Yankees insider Bryan Hoch provided fans with a positive update on the left-hander, saying that if all goes according to plan, Chapman could be activated tomorrow, though Friday is a more likely target date, according to manager Aaron Boone.
Aroldis Chapman could be activated tomorrow, but Aaron Boone said he is "probably leaning more towards Friday" at Cleveland. #Yankees
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 29, 2022
Chapman Returning
Either way, this is good news for the Yankees.
It would probably be smarter to keep him out one more day and wait until Friday to bring him back.
But the news has to be encouraging for the Yankees and their devoted fans.
New York has used Holmes as the stop-gap lately with Chapman sidelined, but soon, the Yankees bullpen will get a big boost by the return of the “Cuban Missile.”
As a result of his injury, Chapman has been limited to just 17 games in 2022.
He owns an 0-2 record and a 3.86 ERA, which is unusual for somebody who has been as dominant as Chapman has over his career.
But with him healthy, the Yankees bullpen will end up being much stronger in a few days or so.
Perhaps he could come off the IL tomorrow, but again, Friday is the more likely date.
We’ll see what the Yankees ultimately decide to do.
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