New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated that the team is not yet ready to give up on reliever Camilo Doval, despite the pitcher's struggles since being acquired nearly a year ago. Doval, who arrived from the Giants before last year's trade deadline, has not yet found a consistent role or success with the Yankees.
Boone indicated that the team continues to have faith in Doval's potential, noting his ability to throw at high velocities and strike out batters. "We cast off people all the time during a long major league season and the reality is, things change and they can change in a hurry sometimes," Boone said before a recent game. "Guys as talented as Camilo, there are stories every year of guys flipping the script over the course of a year. We hope to do that with Camilo."
Since joining the Yankees, Doval's performance metrics have seen a decline. His WHIP has increased from 1.261 over four-plus seasons with the Giants to 1.473 as a Yankee. He has also allowed more home runs and recorded fewer strikeouts compared to his previous tenure. Prior to two scoreless outings recently, he had not pitched a scoreless inning in a Yankee victory since June 14. In early July, he allowed 10 runs, four of which were earned, in three appearances. While he has since thrown two scoreless innings, he walked four batters in that span.
Doval has fallen behind several other members of the Yankees' bullpen, including high-leverage relievers like David Bednar and Fernando Cruz, as well as left-handed pitchers Tim Hill and Brent Headrick, and even promising relievers like Paul Blackburn and Angel Chivilli.
Despite these challenges, the Yankees have not given up on Doval, contrasting their approach with that of another reliever, Jake Bird, acquired around the same deadline, who has not found success with the team. Boone mentioned that the team has attempted to place Doval in situations where he has the best chance to succeed, hoping for a snowball effect. The Yankees anticipate the upcoming Aug. 3 trade deadline as a potential opportunity for another team to acquire Doval based on his arm talent, though his trade value is currently considered low.