NEW YORK — Anyone who saw Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers signal to the dugout in the fourth inning Saturday, grabbing his elbow and being escorted off the mound by a trainer had to assume the worst.
Not only was Weathers clearly hurt, but his season appeared to be in jeopardy. Given the Yankees’ run of bad luck with injuries lately, it’d only be fitting that Weathers would be shelved for the long term as well.
Weathers himself said his elbow felt “weird…stretched out” in the fateful moment against the Blue Jays.
But the Yankees received encouraging news after placing Weathers on the 15-day injured list. An MRI revealed a low-grade strain of his left flexor tendon.
Although Weathers will be shut down for 2-4 weeks, the club is cautiously optimistic. The fact that Weathers’ tendon is not torn and the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is similarly intact are both hopeful signs.
“Big picture, obviously, really good news,” Aaron Boone said before Sunday’s series finale against Toronto.
The manager added there’s ‘a great chance’ Weathers would return before the end of the season, though the Yankees have yet to determine who will fill his rotation spot.
While Will Warren will take the mound on Tuesday against the Astros, the Yankees have not yet decided on Wednesday’s starter. It could be reliever Ryan Yarbrough, who threw 1.2 innings on Sunday, or Triple-A call-up Brendan Beck.
Another option would be hot prospect Elmer Rodriguez, who was supposed to start for the Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A) Sunday but was a last-minute scratch.
Regardless of who fills in, it’s likely Weathers will be in the bullpen if and when he’s back in September. For one, he’d be on a strict pitch count after a month of inactivity. Just as importantly, Boone was considering turning Weathers into a reliever once Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt were both healthy.
Weathers has previously said he’d have no problem pitching out of the pen.
“If that’s what they want, come in and throw 100 (mph) for 15 pitches, I could definitely do that,” Weathers said in June.
Doing so would require a fully restored elbow. Weathers is encouraged that although he suffered a similar flexor strain with the Marlins in 2025 – and missed two months of the season because of it – the discomfort from the current strain is less severe.
Weathers planned to consult with Yankees physician Chris Ahmad during Sunday’s game.
“Hopefully we get a good (plan) together and get back as soon as possible,” Weathers said.
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Leave a Comment