The Yankees' pitching depth just took another hit. Ryan Weathers exited Saturday's start against the Blue Jays in the 4th inning with left forearm discomfort, and by Sunday the team had him on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain.
This isn't Weathers' first IL rodeo, either. He landed on the injured list with the Marlins back in 2024 for the same body part, a forearm strain that kept him out to start that season. Now in pinstripes, the lefty is dealing with déjà vu at the worst possible time for a Yankees team trying to hold its rotation together down the stretch.
Manager Aaron Boone said Weathers won't be throwing for 2 to 4 weeks, but he's cautiously optimistic the 26-year-old can get back on a mound in some capacity before the season ends. Weathers himself struck a similarly measured tone, saying tests came back clean on the elbow and that he'd rather be smart now than jeopardize pitching in September and, hopefully, October.
The bigger issue is that Weathers isn't an isolated case. He's the 4th Yankees starter to land on the IL this year, joining Max Fried, who's currently out with a bone bruise in his own elbow, plus earlier absences from Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon. For a team that traded for Weathers specifically to shore up rotation depth, watching him go down is exactly the scenario New York was trying to insure against.
The Yankees have already turned to Triple-A, recalling Brendan Beck from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the roster spot. Whether that's enough to hold the fort until Weathers or Fried can return is the question hanging over the stretch run. With the AL East race and a playoff push both very much alive, New York doesn't have much margin left to keep absorbing rotation hits like this one.