When the Yankees acquired Scott Effross back in 2022, they believed the submarine-throwing right-handed pitcher would be a key component in their bullpen. Unfortunately, Effross underwent Tommy John surgery toward the end of the season, ruling him out for all of 2023.
The Yankees Need a Healthy Scott Effross Back
It has taken almost two years for Effross to finally work his way back up to being a potential option for the Yankees in relief. Now 30 years old, Effross only has 71.1 innings of MLB action under his belt, hosting a 2.78 ERA.
Recent Performances in Triple-A
However, Effross has been healthy and working his way back with the Yankees’ Triple-A team, making 15 appearances and logging a 4.58 ERA over 17.2 innings. His strikeouts sit at 8.15 per nine innings, including a 62.5% left-on-base rate and a solid 56.9% ground ball rate.
Ideally, Effross will keep the ball out of the air and mitigate. His underlying metrics look good enough that he can be an asset for the Yankees down the stretch, and they may want to give him an opportunity to work into the equation, especially after sending Will Warren back down to Triple-A on Thursday and designating Enyel De Los Santos for assignment on Wednesday.
Bullpen Adjustments and Strategy
The Bombers made two bullpen moves at the deadline, acquiring De Los Santos from the Padres and Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs. Obviously, De Los Santos wasn’t playing up to par, forcing the Yankees to make a difficult decision and letting him go. Leiter, on the other hand, hosts a 4.53 ERA this season but a 6.14 ERA with the Yankees over 7.1 innings. His ground ball rate has plummeted, and he’s walking more batters than ever, not to mention 2.45 home runs per nine.
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Looking Ahead
It is obvious that the Bombers need arms in the bullpen, but they’ve been trying to give Effross time to work his way back into the mix and build a small sample of action that he can lean on. With a roster spot opening up after Warren’s move back down to the minors, the Yankees will likely promote a bullpen arm to help give some of their key pieces more rest.