Yankees appoint volatile bullpen arm as ’27th’ man for doubleheader

MLB: New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles, ron marinaccio
Credit: James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees are gearing up for a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, with the first game scheduled for 1 PM. After postponing Friday night’s game against the Texas Rangers due to inclement weather, the forecast looks beautiful for the next few days, and the Yankees shouldn’t have any problem fitting in their games.

Yankees Appoint the “27th” Man

On Saturday morning, they announced the “27th” man for the doubleheader, promoting Ron Marinaccio. The 29-year-old has a 2.84 ERA this year over 19 innings but a 4.12 xERA. His strikeouts are down, and he continues to struggle with walks and home runs allowed.

MLB: New York Yankees at Milwaukee Brewers, ron marinaccio
Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

Comparing Past and Present Performance

Marinaccio is a far cry from his 2022 metrics when he boasted a 2.05 ERA, 11.45 strikeouts per nine, and an 81.3% left-on-base rate. Once believed to have the best changeup on the roster, Marinaccio has lost complete control of that pitch, posting a .348 batting average against this year, the highest of his three pitches.

Potential Demotion Post-Doubleheader

The Yankees will likely send him back down to Triple-A once the doubleheader concludes, and they didn’t even use him last time around despite having him available. The team has had a few extra days off, supporting the bullpen and providing essential rest with an important series coming up.

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