When the Yankees acquired Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs in 2022, they envisioned him as a key component of their bullpen. Over 12.2 innings with the Yankees that season, he impressed with a 2.13 ERA. However, an elbow injury requiring Tommy John surgery forced him to miss the entire 2023 season and a significant portion of 2024.
Yankees’ Hopes for Scott Effross in the Bullpen
Effross has been steadily working his way back in Triple-A for months before finally making his first appearance this year for the Yankees over the weekend. In 24 innings at Triple-A, he posted a 3.75 ERA with a 66.1% left-on-base rate and a 60.3% ground ball rate. While there were concerns about his performance in the minors, the Bombers decided to test if he was ready for a full-time promotion.
Mixed Results in the Majors
In his initial return, Effross gave up two earned runs in two innings but showed improvement against the Rangers on Wednesday night, striking out two batters over 1.1 scoreless innings. Unfortunately, his performance was not convincing enough for the Yankees to keep him on the roster, leading to his demotion back to Triple-A on Thursday morning.
Questionable Decision-Making in the Bullpen
Considering how Ron Marinaccio has performed recently, it’s surprising that the Yankees chose him over Effross. Since his promotion, Marinaccio has surrendered four earned runs in two appearances, making his performance arguably worse than Effross’s.
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Effross’s Road to Recovery
Effross hasn’t experienced a significant decrease in velocity, with his sinker clocking in at 89.9 mph compared to 90.3 mph in 2022. He is still gradually working his way back, and the Yankees are taking a cautious approach, allowing him plenty of time to recover fully after nearly two years of rehabilitation.