Yankees’ Aaron Boone Acknowledged Veteran Pitcher ‘Upset’ Over Demotion

Getty New York Yankees reliever Ron Marinaccio was left upset by a seventh-career demotion

The New York Yankees have enjoyed a strong start from their bullpen, which leads all of the majors with 17 saves so far and ranks second overall with a 2.69 ERA.

The relief corps has been led by a range of outstanding performances from relatively inexpensive players. It has been so effective and so deep that Ron Marinaccio, who has been with the team since the 2017 MLB draft, was recently demoted for the seventh time in his career despite pitching for career-best numbers.

“He was upset,” manager Aaron Boone said of Marinaccio’s reaction to the news, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “Understandably.”

Yankees Demoted Ron Marinaccio ‘Because of Business’

Marinaccio has been sent down to the minor leagues seven times since his debut in 2021 and this most recent demotion was to make room for Nick Burdi as he returned from the injured list. But Marinaccio hardly failed to live up to expectations.

He was sporting a 1.42 ERA that would have marked the best average of his career after 12.2 innings with the big-league club this season. He’s given up no earned runs in five innings in Triple-A this season.

“But the Yankees made the move because of business, not results,” Kuty added. “Marinaccio was the only reliever other than Ian Hamilton who had a minor-league option remaining, and Hamilton has pitched higher-leverage innings than Marinaccio since establishing himself with a 2.64 ERA in 39 games last season. The Yankees didn’t have to cut ties with anyone else in their bullpen, prioritizing depth.”

Marinaccio signed a one-year, $739,900 deal with the Yankees in March 2023 and has been optioned to the minors three times and recalled twice since then.

His pitch arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball, a changeup and a sweeper, with the changeup keeping batters down to a .231 average with a 35.7% whiff rate, per Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media.

At 28 years old, Marinaccio appears to be trending in the right direction as a player. But the competition for a big-league spot in the team’s bullpen and the frequency of his demotions could impact future decisions to remain with the team that drafted him.

Boone emphasized that the latest demotion was not driven by Marinaccio’s performance or any failures to progress as a player.

“Ron is in a really good place throwing the ball and obviously he’s performed well,” Boone said, per Kuty. “I feel like coming off the heels of last year, he’s worked really hard to put himself in a good position after struggling a little bit early in Spring Training. (He) finished Spring Training strong and has thrown the ball really well here to start the year.”

Yankees Have Developed a Successful Bullpen Model

Ultimately, finding a lasting position in the Yankees’ bullpen is tough for any player, as the team has adopted an effective strategy of cultivating a rotating series of under-the-radar pitchers.

“Boone credited the Yankees’ front office for its ability to identify undervalued arms and maximize their abilities,” according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN. “The expertise has produced bullpens that have finished in the top five in ERA over the past three seasons.”