Alexander Wilson
The first pitcher into Rogers Centre gets the first chance to make last year feel a little less sticky.
Ryan Weathers starts Friday for the NY Yankees, and the assignment has more texture than a normal June start. Toronto was a mess for them last season, with the Blue Jays turning that building into a trap door during the regular season and again when it mattered most.
I would not overplay the revenge angle. Different year, different roster, different standings. Still, the Yankees know what happened there, and Weathers walking into that park with a real home-run question attached to his profile makes this a useful test.
The four-seamer has to behave
Weathers enters with a 2-4 record, 3.86 ERA, 70 innings, 79 strikeouts, and a 1.16 WHIP, which is solid enough on the surface. His run-prevention profile gets more complicated when the ball leaves the yard, since he has allowed 13 homers and carries a 1.67 HR/9.
The fastball damage is the thing to watch. His last start against Boston was not a total disaster, but he allowed five earned runs over six innings and took the loss. Before that, the Athletics got him for three homers in West Sacramento, all off the four-seamer.
Toronto is not the place to get loose with fastball location. If Weathers can drive the ball to the edges, lean into the sweeper and changeup when needed, and keep the Blue Jays from sitting dead red, the Yankees can get exactly what they need from him.
The rotation debate is still sitting there
The Yankees have a good problem building in the rotation, but it still needs sorting. Gerrit Cole is back, Cam Schlittler is a front-line monster, Will Warren has earned trust, Carlos Rodon is working his way through the early return stretch, and Max Fried is expected back at some point.
Weathers does not need to be an ace to keep his seat warm. He needs to keep giving them innings without turning the middle frames into a bullpen emergency.
Friday matters because one start does not decide his season, but the Yankees are inching toward the part of the year when every rotation answer becomes connected to July. If Weathers keeps the ball in the park, he gives them another reason to stay patient. If the homer trend keeps barking, the club may have to ask whether his best October path is more flexible than traditional starter.
For now, he gets the ball in the building that made the Yankees miserable a year ago. A clean start would not erase that scar, but it would make the present feel a lot sturdier.
More about:New York Yankees
