![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1220,height=813,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Washington-Nationals-mark-leiter-jr-24084731.jpg\")
Fernando Cruz Injury Puts More Pressure on Thin Relief Unit<\/strong><\/p>\n Fernando Cruz going down with an oblique strain might\u2019ve been the tipping point, both statistically and emotionally, for this group.<\/p>\n Cruz had quietly been one of the few trustworthy arms\u2014his 3.00 ERA and high strikeout rate kept games under control.<\/p>\n Losing him means one fewer pitcher capable of bridging the gap between the starters and closer without blowing things up.<\/p>\n Manager Aaron Boone didn\u2019t sugarcoat it: Cruz will be out \u201cfor a while,\u201d and there\u2019s no easy fix waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n Aaron Boone Takes Accountability, but Structural Issues Persist<\/strong><\/p>\n In a moment of self-reflection, Boone admitted his bullpen management hasn\u2019t always set pitchers up for success.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of those guys have been leaned on heavily\u2026 I\u2019ve got to do a better job,\u201d Boone said, via Greg Joyce of The New York Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n Aaron Boone on the bullpen, which has allowed 15 ER in 13 IP over last four games: “Some of those guys have been leaned on heavily. It\u2019s on me, I got to do a better job of getting those guys in positions where they can be successful.”<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/GJoyce9\/status\/1940203048749686847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1940203048749686847%7Ctwgr%5E63a47c8a0e480a114c99446e114f088f1b5eda53%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fempiresportsmedia.com%2Fnew-york-yankees%2Fyankees-manager-takes-blame-for-recent-bullpen-woes%2F<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Boone\u2019s comments are commendable, but they underscore a painful truth\u2014this bullpen is being used like a short-staffed restaurant kitchen.<\/p>\n At some point, you can\u2019t blame the chef when the pantry\u2019s half-empty and the stove is flickering out.<\/p>\n Overused Relievers Are Breaking Down Under the Workload<\/strong><\/p>\n Relievers like Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver, and even Devin Williams are used a lot, sometimes every day for a specific stretch of games.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise the effectiveness of some of them has dipped. Everyone has a breaking point\u2014these arms are simply reaching theirs faster than expected.<\/p>\n Leiter Jr. was on quite a run until a few days ago, but overuse has chipped away at his control and confidence in key moments and his ERA is now at 4.68.<\/p>\n Boone\u2019s options are so limited, it\u2019s like trying to win a poker hand with a two-seven offsuit nearly every game.<\/p>\n Front Office Needs to Step Up Before It\u2019s Too Late<\/strong><\/p>\n Boone deserves criticism, but the Yankees\u2019 front office bears responsibility for the lack of viable depth options.<\/p>\n A contender shouldn\u2019t rely this heavily on fringe relievers or patchwork solutions when injuries hit\u2014there has to be a plan.<\/p>\n At the very least, New York needs to acquire a dependable lefty, and possibly even a high-leverage right-hander, before the deadline.<\/p>\n This bullpen isn\u2019t built to survive a playoff series, much less the grind of August and September without reinforcements.<\/p>\n Championship Goals Crashing Against a Bullpen Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n The Yankees remain very much in the hunt, but their bullpen is currently a sinking ship bailing water with a coffee cup.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a painful irony\u2014on most nights, the rotation does enough but the bullpen undoes it all.<\/p>\n A team with championship DNA simply can\u2019t afford to trot out relievers who are gassed, mismatched, or both.<\/p>\n If the Yankees want to avoid a historic collapse, the time to act is now\u2014before another lead, and another arm, slips away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The New York Yankees’ bullpen is falling apart under injury and overuse, with Aaron Boone owning some blame amid trade deadline urgency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":75275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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