The Yankees’ bullpen has been solid thus far, but there’s certainly room for improvement. Fortunately for them, reinforcements are on the way.
On Wednesday, Aaron Boone said that Nick Burdi could rejoin the team as soon as Friday when the Yankees begin a three-game series in Tampa. The hard-throwing righty has a 0.00 ERA over 6.1 innings this season, but he hasn’t pitched in a big league game since April 16 thanks to hip inflammation.
Burdi threw in a Triple-A rehab game on Tuesday, striking out the side in his lone inning of work.
With Burdi expected back soon, Michael Tonkin’s spot in the bullpen could be in jeopardy.
The Yankees may have to make a tougher decision in a couple of weeks, as Tommy Kahnle began a rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa on Wednesday. Boone said that the right-hander will pitch in at least two rehab games for Tampa before having his assignment transferred to one of the Yankees’ high-level, northern affiliates, Double-A Somerset or Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The plan is for Kahnle to throw in at least five rehab games. His throwing program had been delayed multiple times since spring training began after his 2023 season ended with shoulder inflammation.
“Excited to get him going, obviously,” Boone said. “I know he’s been in a pretty good spot here for a few weeks.”
Adding Burdi and, eventually, Kahnle should benefit the Yankees’ bullpen, which owned the best ERA (2.22) and opponents’ batting average (.193) in baseball as of Wednesday morning. In addition to closer Clay Holmes, the group has been leaning on the likes of Caleb Ferguson, Victor González, Ian Hamilton, Luke Weaver, Dennis Santana and Ron Marinaccio.
“I’m very pleased with how everyone’s kind of come together down there and done their jobs,” Boone said. “They’ve done that really well. And it’s not necessarily with everyone in the perfect place, locked in, pitching at their best. But they’ve all really, really contributed in different ways in winning situations. So that’s been really nice.”
With that said, the Yankees’ pen could be better in a lot of ways. For example, the unit ranked 18th in BB% (9.3), 19th in xFIP (4.23), 25th in K% (20.3) and 29th in inherited runners scored (24).
There have certainly been some bumps in the road, which Boone acknowledged. However, the returns of Burdi, Kahnle and other rehabbers could change the dynamic of the bullpen down the road.
“As more and more guys become part of the mix, hopefully, that allows you to be a more perfect bullpen moving forward,” Boone said.
