Aside from the boom or bust offense, if there’s anything that’s been quite concerning regarding this 2026 Yankees team in the early parts of the season, it’s specifically the depth and quality of its bullpen.
The Yankees head into the third game of a four-game set tonight against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is at 7:05 PM E.T., and the game will be televised on Amazon Prime.
While on the surface it doesn’t seem too bad with the Yankees ranking 13th currently in team bullpen ERA (3.75), according to Covers, the Yankees have struggled to get sufficient pitching depth, along with their being significant usage and early-season struggles from some of their notable relievers, such as David Bednar and Camilo Doval.
Yankees Bullpen Struggling In Angels Series
The Yankees’ bullpen on Monday against the Angels gave up six earned runs, blowing the Yankees’ lead three separate times throughout the game, in which the Yankees would go on to narrowly win 10-11 in the ninth due to a wild pitch by Angels Reliever Jordan Romano with the bases loaded. It was a power versus power clash with two superstars, Mike Trout and Aaron Judge, both collectively hitting two home runs in the same game, each.
But this Yankees bullpen, which has greatly relied on closer David Bednar already, pitching in seven of the team’s first fifteen games, has struggled out of the gate, posting a 5.40 ERA in 6.2 total innings pitched. Set up man Camilo Doval has also struggled, posting a 7.36 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched so far this season. The Yankees’ top two bullpen arms, who they acquired at last year’s MLB trade deadline, getting off to slow starts, isn’t even the Yankees’ biggest concern.
What the Yankees lack is bullpen depth, which after Monday’s 10-11 win, had them so short on arms they needed to call up right handed reliever Yerry De Los Santos from Triple A. De Los Santos was then sent back to Triple A just hours later following the Yankees 7-1 loss on Tuesday night, in which De Los Santos scored on a Yoan Moncada solo home run in the 8th inning.
The Yankees, before tonight’s game, have now called up right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli, who they acquired in a trade this past offseason for first baseman TJ Rumfield, who has found great success so far in Colorado as the Rockies‘ everyday first baseman, posting an .829 OPS in his first 17 games this season.
Chivilli, despite having a rough spring training for the Yankees, has posted eight shutout innings out of the bullpen in Triple A for Scranton Wilkes-Barre with 9 strikeouts.
The 23-year-old Chivilli features a fastball that averages 97.1 mph and can reach triple digits. Still, he has struggled in the past with limiting walks and reducing damage, posting a 7.03 ERA with the Rockies in 2025 over 58.2 innings, according to Baseball Savant.
Yankees Most Reliable Reliever Right Now
The most reliable reliever up to this point for the Yankees is crafty left-hander Tim Hill, posting an impressive 1.13 ERA in eight appearances this season. The Yankees also need to get more length from some of their starting pitchers, such as Will Warren, who’s pitched well to begin the season, but had a rough fourth inning on Monday night after a Jose Caballero error that would eventually end his night earlier than expected.
The same can be said for others in the rotation, such as Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil, who have not provided as much coverage from an innings standpoint as the team may expect, therefore relying on more usage from the bullpen.
The Yankees are hoping they can strike lightning in a bottle with Chivilli, as they badly need bullpen reinforcements in the first month of the season. It’s also worth noting the Yankees have a hard-throwing top pitching prospect, Carlos Lagrange, currently in Triple A, and could make his debut at some point this season if the Yankees’ bullpen and pitching woes continue.
The Yankees also have another pitching prospect in reliever Yovanny Cruz, who had an impressive spring training for the Yankees and so far posted six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in Triple A Scranton Wilkes Barre.
Yankees Bullpen Depth Is Getting Very Concerning