The New York Yankees have been getting good news regarding injured players on the pitching front lately with Clarke Schmidt’s bullpen session going well Tuesday, and they are hoping for more of the same with two key relievers.
Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet are progressing well in their respective rehabs
Ian Hamilton (right lat strain) and Cody Poteet (right tricep strain) both are progressing well in their rehab from injuries they each suffered in mid-June. According to MLB.com, Hamilton was scheduled to throw a “high-intensity” bullpen session on Tuesday, which is his biggest step forward since resuming his throwing program just before the All-Star break. The right-hander hasn’t pitched since June 16, when he clearly didn’t look right against the Boston Red Sox allowing two earned runs and three hits in just a third of an inning.
He has still yet to face live hitters, which would then be the next step before potentially going on a rehab assignment. Therefore, he is likely still at least a few weeks away from returning to the big league mound, but it is still encouraging to see him work his way back and be available for the stretch run and into the postseason.
Hamilton has not had the ideal season after a strong showing last year. He has been on the injured list twice with this lat strain and has pitched to a 4.55 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with 30 strikeouts this season. Regardless, the Yankees are really going to need him back as soon as possible as their bullpen is still very thin.
They added some insurance arms at the trade deadline by acquiring Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs and Enyel De Los Santos from the San Diego Padres, but Hamilton gives them a much-needed high-leverage arm in the front of the bullpen.
As for Poteet, he is trending towards returning sooner than Hamilton, as he threw his second full bullpen session last month, according to the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips. The righty was recently transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the roster for the deadline acquisitions, and he has been on the shelf since June 16 against Kansas City. His injury came at roughly the same time Gerrit Cole was returning from the injury that sidelined him the first two months of the season, so the Yankees didn’t have to shuffle too many pieces to address his absence.
Nevertheless, the Yankees could benefit from Poteet being an available long-relief arm in the bullpen. He made a handful of spot starts for New York while filling in for the absence of Schmidt and Cole, and was solid in those starts, pitching to a 2.14 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP with an opponent batting average of .203 across four appearances (three starts).
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The Yankees need both righties back in the bullpen as soon as possible
During their absence, the Yankees have gotten strong outings out of hidden gems like Luke Weaver and Michael Tonkin, but All-Star closer Clay Holmes has faltered. Holmes has only recorded five saves since June 9 and has seen his ERA rise from 1.23 to 2.76 in that span. He also has six blown saves in his last 10 save opportunities and has the most blown saves in MLB this season with a total of nine.
Therefore, the Yankees cannot wait to get much-needed reinforcements back and take some pressure off of their high-leverage guys down the final stretch of the season. More will be known about Hamilton and Poteet’s progression in the coming weeks, but both could be back on the mound in the bigs before the end of the month.
