The Yankees survived without him, but they will gladly welcome Luke Weaver back to their bullpen this weekend.
Weaver is expected to be activated off the injured list Friday, manager Aaron Boone indicated, after seemingly getting through his work Thursday without any issues.
It has been fewer than three weeks since Weaver strained his hamstring while stretching in the bullpen at Dodger Stadium, and though his injury came with a reported timeline of 4-6 weeks, he is likely to beat that.
“Maybe a little [surprised], just based on the initial readings,” Boone said Thursday before a 7-3 win over the Angels. “That being said, I know he felt good right away.
“Looks really good, so it’s all been encouraging.”
When Weaver landed on the IL — at which point he had a 1.05 ERA with eight saves — it thrust Devin Williams back into the closer role after losing it in late April because of early struggles. With Weaver out, Williams converted all four save opportunities while giving up one run and striking out eight in six appearances spanning 5 ²/₃ innings — including three strikeouts to close out Thursday’s win.
Luke WeaverCorey Sipkin for the NY POST
Boone was noncommittal on who would be his closer once Weaver was active.
“We’ll see,” Boone said. “Let’s get through the day with Luke, and then when he’s ready to come back, we’ll have that conversation.”
Either way, Weaver’s return will be a boost for the bullpen at large.
Devin WilliamsRobert Sabo for NY Post
“I mean, it’s Luke Weaver,” Boone said. “But just then the trickle-down effect that that has, obviously, on giving you more hammers at the back end of the game, especially, and slotting guys into better slots. Anytime you add someone like Luke, it just makes the entire thing better, on top of what he brings.”
Just as Weaver was about to return, the Yankees placed Yerry de los Santos on the injured list Thursday with right elbow discomfort. The reliever, who threw 14 pitches Wednesday night, was having trouble extending his elbow and was undergoing tests Thursday to determine the cause.
To fill his spot in the bullpen, the Yankees called up lefty Jayvien Sandridge, who was sent right back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the game to open a spot for Weaver. Sandridge, who had a 1.29 ERA with 13 strikeouts in seven innings at SWB, recently had an assignment clause in his minor league contract, so the Yankees were going to add him to the 40-man roster even if de los Santos had not gotten hurt.
The Yankees lost a challenge in the first inning when Cody Bellinger was called out at second on a force play that drove in their first run.
“Incredibly surprised,” Boone said. “As much as I get mad at calls — that one justifiably — you got to move on. There are things that went our way today as well.”
