On paper, the New York Yankees built a bullpen designed to intimidate, a group packed with closers and power arms.
They assembled veterans like David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams, a collection most teams would envy in October.
With Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. adding strikeout punch, and Tim Hill anchoring from the left side, this unit should have been airtight.
Instead, it’s leaking runs at a dangerous rate. The Yankees currently sit 23rd in bullpen ERA at 4.56, an alarming fall from their intended dominance.
Only seven MLB teams are worse, and that’s not the company a contender wants to keep this late.
October is creeping closer, and the relief corps looks like an Achilles’ heel rather than a strength.
This decline has been especially jarring because the bullpen was supposed to be the team’s safety net.
When the offense scuffled or the rotation stumbled, this group was built to slam the door. Now, it’s the one creaking loudly.
Luke Weaver’s collapse amplifies the panic
No single pitcher embodies this sudden unraveling more than Luke Weaver, once considered one of manager Aaron Boone’s trusted arms.
A few weeks ago, Weaver was steady, a quiet backbone piece who could be leaned on in tense spots. Now, he looks like a ticking time bomb every time he steps on the mound.
His latest outing on Monday against the Minnesota Twins felt like the breaking point. Weaver recorded just one out while allowing five runs, detonating his ERA from 3.22 to 3.97 in one ugly swoop.
The numbers behind the slump are even uglier: in his last 11 games, he’s thrown nine innings, allowed 18 hits, 12 earned runs, and three homers, while walking five and striking out 14. Opponents are batting .419 against him during that span.
Luke Weaver last 11 games
9.0 IP
18 H
12 ER
3 HR
5/14 BB/K
12.00 ERA
.419 BAA— New York Yankees Stats (@nyyankeesstats) September 16, 2025
Weaver still flashes his trademark swing-and-miss stuff, but it’s being overshadowed by how often he’s getting squared up.
Every hanging pitch feels like a dare, and hitters are accepting the invitation. It suggests his command has slipped, and without command, even electric stuff gets punished.
A race against the clock to fix everything
What makes Weaver’s struggles more alarming is the calendar. The postseason is approaching, and the Yankees don’t have time to wait.
Every appearance feels like a test of whether he can be trusted when the lights get brightest. Right now, the answer is no.
Weaver himself admitted after Monday’s disaster that something felt completely off, bluntly calling the performance “trash” in an interview with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
Luke Weaver on tonight: “Yeah. That was trash. Obviously, I’ll recap it. Off the rip, though, the body just wasn’t on time. It wasn’t aligned with what I was trying to execute and do. Felt like I was fighting myself the whole time. Mentally, just trying to overcome it and have a…
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He explained that his body and mechanics weren’t aligned, saying he felt like he was “fighting” himself the entire time on the mound.
It sounded less like the words of a confident reliever and more like someone trying to keep their footing on shifting sand.
That honesty might be a sign of self-awareness, but the Yankees can’t afford to gamble on hope. If Weaver can’t quickly synchronize his mechanics, body, and mindset, his spot on the postseason roster could vanish.
Baseball is often compared to a marathon, but for Weaver, it has become a sprint—one he has to finish at full speed while running uphill.
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