Ryan Weathers exits New York Yankees' loss, sent for imaging
NEW YORK -- New York Yankees starter Ryan Weathers exited Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning with left forearm discomfort. He left Yankee Stadium to undergo imaging, but the club did not have an update after the game.
Weathers departed after throwing his 72nd pitch -- a 78 mph sweeper to Myles Straw to make it a 1-1 count -- with runners on first and second and one out. He roamed around the mound in clear pain, prompting manager Aaron Boone and a trainer to emerge from the dugout to check on him. He walked off the field after a quick discussion.
Acquired from the Miami Marlins during the offseason, Weathers has already totaled a career-high 137 innings pitched this season. He set his previous high of 126 innings in 2022 between Triple A and the majors while with the San Diego Padres.
The increased workload, however, did not appear to negatively impact him before Saturday. The 26-year-old left-hander had logged at least 5 innings while allowing one or zero runs in each of his previous five starts. He lowered his ERA from 4.25 to 3.56 during the stretch, which coincided with Weathers slashing his four-seam fastball usage.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Weathers had not reported any arm issues before Saturday. Catcher Austin Wells recalled that Weathers stepped off the mound to reset " one or two pitches before" he exited, but he said he didn't notice Weathers laboring.
"I thought his stuff was sharp all the way," Wells said. "Even the last pitch."
Weathers' setback is just the latest notable one for the Yankees. If he ends up on the injured list, he would join outfielder Aaron Judge (rib), designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (calf), left-hander Max Fried (elbow), third baseman Ryan McMahon (thumb), and right-hander Clarke Schmidt (elbow). That doesn't include outfielder Cody Bellinger, who is expected to return from a hamstring injury Sunday.
"I mean, the IL team is great," Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said.
Weathers missing any extended time would further test a Yankees starting rotation that has faced -- and successfully overcome -- various setbacks this season.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole did not make his season debut until May 22 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Fried and left-hander Carlos Rodon have been on the injured list twice each. Schmidt is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil recently returned after missing nearly four months with shoulder inflammation after being sent to the minors in April.
Fried is on the injured list with a recurrence of a bone bruise in his left elbow after missing more than two months with the injury earlier this season. The three-time All-Star threw a bullpen session at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and could face hitters in live batting practice early next week. He and the Yankees consider the recurrence less severe than the initial injury.
Rodon returned from the injured list last week after missing more than a month with elbow inflammation. He missed the first six weeks of the season after having elbow surgery last October.
Schmidt has been working to return as a reliever, though Boone recently said that could change, while Gil tossed two scoreless innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday in his first relief appearance of the season.
And yet Yankees starters have posted the lowest ERA in the majors this season (3.36) to help keep the club within striking distance of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East despite the offense's struggles without Judge over the last two-plus months. Weathers was key to that success. Now the Yankees may need to look elsewhere down the stretch.
"Look, I think we'll be all right," Boone said. "Obviously, you never want significant pieces to go down, but again, that's part of it. I feel like we're throwing the ball incredibly well and expect to do that. In the short term, that creates an opportunity for someone else. We've had people step up all year, and we'll need to do it again."
