The New York Yankees have been one of the hottest teams in baseball and have been surviving the injury bug. However, there has been another player who is expected to miss time for the team which could mean a lot about how the team does. It is being reported that closer Luke Weaver is expected to miss significant time with a hamstring injury and is expected to be placed on the Injured List. Let’s take a closer look at all we do know at this time and what this means for the New York Yankees going forward.
New York Yankees Lose Closer for Significant Time
The New York Yankees have been playing well throughout the first two months of the season as they hold a 5.5-game lead in the AL East and the second-best record in the American League. However, ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting that closer Luke Weaver is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a hamstring injury. During Sunday Night Baseball against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned how he was going to use Weaver but injured his hamstring while warming up.
This is going to be a massive blow to the New York Yankees bullpen as Weaver has been one of the most effective relievers in the sport. He has appeared in 24 games (25.2 innings) and is 1-1 with a 1.05 ERA and a 0.701 WHIP with eight saves. He has ‘struggled’ lately but has only allowed three runs this season (two home runs). This likely will see the team use a closer-by-committee approach as Devin Williams has not looked comfortable in the closer role in those situations.
While tests are going to be done, the timetable makes it seem like it is a Grade 2 hamstring. With the All-Star break being exactly six weeks away, do not be surprised to see the team hold him out until the second half of the season.
