The New York Yankees were forced to make a few bullpen moves following Jhony Brito’s tough performance on Thursday evening. Brito couldn’t get out of the first inning, allowing seven runs before relief pitcher Colten Brewer took over, immediately giving up two homers himself.
It’s interesting to think that Brito’s dud may have ultimately lost Brewer his job since management needed a rested bullpen piece to help smooth things over on Friday.
Unfortunately for Brewer, this was the end of his tenure in New York unless he manages to clear waivers and land on the Triple-A squad.
Brewer was designated for assignment on Friday afternoon, and without any minor league options left, the team had no choice but to move on without him.
The 30-year-old pitched 8.1 innings for the Bombers, hosting a 4.32 ERA and 61.5% ground ball rate. This was Brewer’s fifth professional season, experiencing his most prevalent campaign in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately, Colten had solid stuff but was always the odd man out, having been scooped up just before the start of the regular season a few weeks ago.
The Yankees are still waiting on several injured players to return, notably Lou Trevino, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Tommy Kahnle.
The Yankees need some of their prominent arms back:
Kahnle was the team’s big free agent acquisition, but having dealt with a number of injuries in the past, he was always a risk. General manager Brian Cashman offered him a two-year, $11.5 million deal, but he’s already dealing with a bicep tendinitis injury that disrupted his flow in the past.
Nonetheless, to replace Brewer on the roster, the Yankees called up Greg Weissert, one of their top young arms looking to find a home at the MLB level.
At 28 years old, Weissert pitched 11.1 innings for the Yankees last season, hosting a 5.56 ERA but didn’t give up a single run across his final four appearances.
Weissert has solid stuff, posting a 1.69 ERA across 5.1 innings in Triple-A to start 2023. He features a sinker, sweeper, four-seam fastball, and change-up. His sinker generated a .300 batting average against, and his sweeper, his primary strikeout pitch, produced a .130 batting average.
Weissert’s slider produced 27% more horizontal movement than the average pitcher last year, and his change-up was 20% more. His location can be inconsistent sometimes, but when he’s feeling it, he’s capable of dominant showings.
With the team moving through several bullpen arms on Thursday evening, they had no choice but to call up a healthy and ready relief pitcher to help supplement. Hopefully, Nestor Cortés can take them most of the way during Friday’s game and give the Pen essential rest.