The New York Yankees’ bullpen is a bit overworked at the moment. Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians took a lot from the unit, and the worst thing is that they couldn’t even get a win.
Pitchers like Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle, and Tim Mayza will probably be unavailable for Friday. You can go ahead and add another absence to that group: right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton.
Ian Hamilton suffered a calf injury in Game 3
Hamilton faced just two batters, but suffered a calf injury while covering first base in a play on the infield. He suffered a left calf injury and had to be replaced in the game when it became evident he couldn’t pitch.
The Yankees are bringing in a familiar face to replace Hamilton on the roster — trade deadline acquisition Mark Leiter Jr:
“Mark Leiter Jr. has replaced Ian Hamilton on the Yankees’ ALCS roster. Hamilton would be ineligible for the World Series, should the Yankees advance,” Bryan Hoch, who covers the team for MLB.com, posted on X.
The Yankees have no choice but to trust Leiter
Hamilton, who was a reliable bullpen when healthy, posted a 3.82 ERA in the regular season, with 41 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. He wasn’t used much in the postseason, though.
The Yankees are trusting Leiter to provide some much-needed innings, especially on Friday and Saturday with no off days and some of the top guys feeling overworked.
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The right-hander posted a 4.50 ERA in 58 innings between the Chicago Cubs and the Yankees, but he did accumulate 86 strikeouts. There is no question he can miss bats in bunches, but walks and homers have been an issue for him and he posted a rather mediocre 4.98 ERA as a member of the Yanks.
The team hopes he can replicate the form he showed in June (0.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 9.2 frames) or even September (3.24 ERA) while being thrown into the fire that is an American League Championship Series.
