The New York Yankees' bullpen demonstrated resilience Tuesday night, delivering a strong performance in a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. This rebound came after a challenging outing by the bullpen in the previous game, and in the wake of the team's decision not to add any relief pitchers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Pitchers Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick, and David Bednar combined for three scoreless innings. Headrick entered in the seventh inning with a runner on third base and induced a ground out to end the threat. Bednar then took over in the eighth, striking out Nelson Velázquez with the bases loaded before closing out the ninth inning for the Yankees' 12th shutout of the season.
Manager Aaron Boone praised Bednar's recent performance, noting that he has not allowed a run in 24 of his last 25 appearances. "It's been a couple months now where it's been really lockdown by him," Boone said.
The team's trade deadline strategy, which involved trading away pitchers Camilo Doval and Yovanny Cruz, places additional importance on the existing bullpen and potential additions from within. Clarke Schmidt, who is building arm strength after 2025 Tommy John surgery, experienced forearm cramping during a live batting practice session Tuesday. He was expected to see a doctor and while the Yankees expressed optimism, his readiness for a potential rehab assignment remains uncertain.
Schmidt was scheduled to throw three innings but cut his session short after two. "Hopefully it's not much, but enough for him to say, ‘Let's not do the third up,’" Boone stated. "We'll see what that looks like today and tomorrow." Boone indicated there were no immediate plans for imaging, expressing hope that it was "just some cramping."
Other potential bullpen additions include Will Warren and Ryan Weathers, with one of them possibly transitioning from a starting role if the team's rotation is at full strength. Carlos Rodón is nearing a return, having completed live batting practice and slated to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
In other injury news, Giancarlo Stanton is continuing to progress, facing live pitching for a second consecutive day. He has not experienced setbacks with his calf injury. Cody Bellinger, sidelined with a hamstring strain, is also showing encouraging progress and is still weeks away from returning to play, according to Boone, who noted that Bellinger ran in the outfield prior to the game.