New York Yankees reliever Luke Weaver had a nightmare September, but somehow, October has been worse for the 32-year-old. To put it bluntly, Weaver has blown two playoff games for the Yankees already, and he’s not going to see another meaningful inning again before hitting free agency this winter; that is, unless Yankees manager Aaron Boone decides to troll everyone and put Weaver in another high-leverage situation this postseason.

Before Game 2 of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jaus on Sunday, Boone insisted that the Yankees aren’t giving up on Weaver. “If it (the game) calls for him, it calls for him,” Boone said, per New York Post’s Greg Joyce. “He’s one outing away from turning it around,” Boone continued. “It’s not like we’re trying to get a guy that’s, ‘Eh, his stuff’s not where it needs to be.’ Clean up some things, one outing, boom. But, (we’re) certainly mindful of where things are.”

An update on “where things are” for Weaver and the Yankees: Weaver’s two playoff stinkers follow a September in which he tallied an 11.57 ERA in 13 appearances. More importantly, the Yankees have to win the next three games against a scorching Blue Jays team, or else New York’s season is over.

Luke Weaver’s appearance in Game 2 of the ALDS signaled how the Yankees (rightfully) view him

While Boone’s pregame comments on Weaver may have terrified Yankees fans, Boone’s actions — concerning Weaver, at least — were more aligned with sanity. Weaver was called upon in the eighth inning of Game 2 in Toronto to deliver one pitch in a game that was already decided; in essence, a meaningless appearance.

With New York’s season now on the brink, and with Weaver virtually ruled out from playing a role in whatever is left of it, it’s sad to realize that Weaver’s Yankees career appears to have ended terribly.

Not one, but two failed outings from Weaver to end his season may also have severely diminished his upcoming free agency outlook, which, until recently, was very intriguing.

Ultimately, Weaver’s postseason couldn’t have gone worse. He failed to retire any of the three batters he faced in Game 1 of the ALWC against the Boston Red Sox, and then he repeated that scenario in Game 1 of the ALDS against Toronto. In doing so, Weaver became just the second pitcher in MLB history to face three or more batters in each of his first two appearances in a postseason and not record an out.

Following Saturday’s Game 1 loss in Toronto, Weaver talked about his struggles, indicating that he’s very much in his own head regarding (potentially phantom?) pitch-tipping. His comments only added to the concerning spiral.

“The results haven’t been good,” Weaver said, per MLB.com’s Jake Rill. “There’s been a lot of internal factors. I don’t want to get too crazy into it, but there’s been adjustments I’ve had to make based off of things that people are seeing, and it just hasn’t really lined up. It’s been pretty late in the adjustment period, and it’s just not lining up out there. I don’t feel like my mind is completely clear to go out there and attack. I do feel physically strong. I do feel mentally strong, overall. I just think there’s just some factors that are building up, and I’m just not executing at the clip I want to.”

“I feel like I’m close. I feel like I’m competitive,” Weaver continued, per Rill. “I’ll leave everything out on the field. It won’t be a matter of not trying, it won’t be a matter of allowing myself to roll over. I’ll compete with anybody in this entire world, and at the end of the day, I’ll die trying.”

Weaver had a 2.52 ERA on the season entering August 20, building off his impressive 2024 (2.89 ERA). His 2025 figure ended up ballooning to 3.62, and his postseason has been far more dire.