Yankees’ Bullpen Shuffle Continues with Jake Cousins Joining Relief Corps
The Yankees’ bullpen has been facing a series of challenges lately, with multiple pitchers moving in and out of the roster. The latest addition to the team’s relief corps is Jake Cousins, who was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. To make room for Cousins, Yoendrys Gomez was sent back down. This move comes as the Yankees prepared to face the Blue Jays in a series.
Despite a strong start to the season, the Yankees’ bullpen has struggled recently, resulting in a rough patch for the team. Over their last six games before Thursday, the bullpen had to cover 25 innings and gave up 20 runs, 15 of which were earned. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the struggles, stating that they were trying to define roles and establish a pecking order within the bullpen. The team has confidence in a few key players, such as Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Michael Tonkin, and Tommy Kahnle. However, there is still a need to figure out the right roles for everyone.
Jake Cousins has had previous experience with the Yankees this season. He was acquired from the White Sox and made three appearances in April, giving up one earned run in three innings. Following his stint with the Yankees, Cousins was optioned to Triple-A and spent nearly two months on the injured list. However, he has since returned and had a solid performance, boasting a 3.00 ERA in seven appearances.
In other news, Aaron Judge was officially named a starting outfielder for the American League All-Star team. Judge received the most fan votes during the first phase of allotting. Juan Soto, another Yankee player, also advanced to the second phase of All-Star voting.
The Yankees are also hoping for reinforcements from Scott Effross, who is currently on a rehab assignment. Effross made his third rehab appearance with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, pitching a scoreless inning and striking out two batters. Boone emphasized the importance of Effross and his potential impact on the bullpen. Effross is recovering from Tommy John surgery and back surgery and will have several more outings in Triple-A before potentially rejoining the bullpen.
Meanwhile, reliever Clayton Andrews, who had been designated for assignment, elected free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A.
