The Yankees saw another lead vanish in Friday’s loss to Tampa Bay, highlighting perhaps the team’s biggest need as trade season approaches.
Their three main acquisitions to the bullpen from last year have been part of the problem this season.
Camilo Doval has already given up as many homers — four — in 20 innings as he did all of last season in 65 ¹/₃.
Jake Bird has battled inconsistency but has been better recently, pitching effectively in his last 10 appearances, covering 7 ¹/₃ innings.
And then there’s David Bednar, who has struggled keeping runners off the bases — and from scoring.
Of 200 qualified relievers, only 19 have a higher WHIP than Bednar, who’s pitched into some bad luck, but has also seen his strikeout rate dip from his career-best a year ago.
Last week, pitching coach Matt Blake said Bednar’s fastball command had been off, but he’d been impressed with the right-hander’s splitter and he’d look to use it more.
In Friday’s loss, marred by Tim Hill’s worst outing of the season out of the pen, Bednar did go to his split-fingered fastball with greater frequency and it helped him allow just one baserunner in a scoreless ninth.
They’ll target more prominent names as they get closer to the deadline — and also have some internal candidates.
In addition to Carlos Lagrange — still in the rotation at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — and perhaps lefty Ryan Weathers if the rotation is healthy when Max Fried returns from a left elbow bone bruise, the Yankees could look at right-hander Eric Reyzelman, who tossed two scoreless innings in his first outing for SWB on Friday.
The 24-year-old was just promoted from Double-A Somerset.
And they signed right-hander Peter Strzelecki to a minor league contract Saturday, as first reported by The Post’s Jon Heyman.
Strzelecki, 31, last pitched in the majors with Cleveland in 2024, but was selected to Milwaukee’s active roster last week and designated for assignment without getting into a game.
He struck out 20 in 19 ¹/₃ innings over 16 appearances with Triple-A Nashville this season and will head to SWB.
