For now, Brent Headrick won’t be the one to help fix the New York Yankees’ struggling bullpen. On Sunday evening, the Yankees optioned Headrick, who joined the team in February, to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The 27-year-old left-hander had a strong outing in the Yankees’ 11-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, striking out four over two scoreless innings. His demotion clears the way for veteran reliever Adam Ottavino, who will rejoin the team in Detroit. Ottavino had been released earlier on Sunday but was re-signed just hours later, marking a quick return for the 15-year veteran.
Headrick had quietly become a promising option in the Yankees’ bullpen. A 2019 ninth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins, he had allowed just one hit and struck out nine in 5.1 scoreless innings for the Yankees. Over his career, Headrick has a 3-0 record with a 5.03 ERA across 34 innings with the Yankees and Twins.
Brent Headrick
The Yankees’ pitching staff has already had a rough start, entering Monday with a 4.37 ERA, slightly above the league average of 4.14. Seven pitchers on the active roster have an ERA of 5.40 or higher. While ERA can be misleading early in the season, the Yankees’ control issues are harder to ignore.
They’ve walked 40 batters, more than all but three teams, averaging 4.4 walks per game, trailing only the Dodgers (4.9) and Athletics (4.8), although the Dodgers have played one more game than the Yankees and A’s.
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