Injured Yankees lefty Ryan Weathers will begin a throwing program this weekend, manager Aaron Boone told reporters today, including Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Weathers has been on the 15-day injured list since August 23rd with a left forearm flexor strain. Boone initially expected Weathers to be shut down for two to four weeks when he went on the IL. It appears he’ll start throwing at the short end of that timeline.
Weathers came to New York in a January trade with the Marlins. His reputation was that of a talented but oft-injured starter, though the Yankees hoped he could take steps forward in 2026. He has done exactly that, posting a 3.60 ERA while making a career-high 25 starts. Weathers has shown good control and ground ball tendencies as usual, and he’s complementing that by striking out a career-high 25.2% of opposing hitters. ERA estimators like FIP (3.61) and SIERA (3.48) are similarly bullish on his work this year.
At this stage of the season, Weathers won’t have time for a full rehab assignment to build back up to a starter’s workload. The Yankees’ rotation is also full at the moment, although No. 5 starter Will Warren threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings tonight in relief of Max Fried, who threw 72 pitches over 5 2/3 innings. With the rotation set, most signs point to Weathers returning in a bullpen role in the final weeks of the regular season. That may end up being his role in the playoffs as well, with Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Fried, and Carlos Rodón forming the playoff rotation.
The Yankees’ bullpen leans righty-heavy at the moment. Brent Headrick is one of three lefties in the group and easily the most effective. After quietly posting a 3.13 ERA in limited action last year, he’s broken out with a dominant 1.93 ERA in 71 appearances in 2026, working his way into a setup role in front of closer David Bednar. Hill has been replacement-level in his third season with New York, while Ryan Yarbrough has been serviceable as a long man.
Adding Weathers to the bullpen would give the Yankees a second dominant lefty to pair with Headrick in October. More broadly, it would add a high-leverage arm to fill the void vacated by the injured Fernando Cruz. The 36-year-old righty was one of Boone’s most trusted relievers before right elbow discomfort forced him to the IL on August 26th. That discomfort was later revealed to be a partial UCL tear. With surgery on the table for Cruz, it was difficult to imagine him pitching again in 2026.
It seems Cruz won’t go under the knife just yet. Boone told reporters, including Greg Joyce of The New York Post, that Cruz will take the “conservative route” on his partially torn UCL. Joyce clarifies that surgery may still be an option in the future, but Cruz is reportedly feeling better and could even start throwing in the next few days. The news shouldn’t change the Yankees’ bullpen calculus going into October. Even if Cruz manages to throw again, it would be an impossibly fast turnaround from considering Tommy John surgery to getting back into games in the span of less than a month.
On the position player side, center fielder Trent Grisham exited tonight’s game with right hamstring discomfort, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and others. In the bottom of the second, an RBI single by Xander Bogaerts fell in front of Grisham, who seemed to be running slowly (video courtesy of MLB.com). Grisham was seen talking with the team trainer afterwards. Heliot Ramos entered the game for Grisham in the bottom of the third, playing right field as Spencer Jones shifted to center.
The injury is notable as Grisham previously missed three weeks in June with a right hamstring strain. He had a 113 wRC+ in 264 plate appearances before that injury, but that’s fallen to a 79 wRC+ in 219 PA since Grisham returned on July 3rd. If he needs to miss time, Jones figures to earn more playing time in center field in a potential preview of his postseason role.
Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)
