NEW YORK – Luke Weaver's twinge was felt by the entire New York Yankees fan base.
The closer went on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a strained left hamstring, two days after he got hurt while warming up during a 7-3 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers. He appears likely to be sidelined until early July or perhaps the All-Star break.
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“Simply stepped off the back of the mound and just kind of got into a little bit of a hamstring stretch and just felt a little bit of an abnormal feeling,” Weaver said Tuesday. “A little alarming.”
Devin Williams, dropped as closer in late April with an 11.25 ERA in 10 games, regained the role in Weaver's absence. He allowed a run in a 30-pitch ninth inning but held on to save a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
“The runs count the same in the seventh and eighth, as well, so I don’t view it any different,” Williams said.
While the Yankees didn’t place a timeframe on Weaver’s return, the pitcher didn’t dispute an ESPN report’s estimate of four to six weeks.
“I don’t want to get wrapped up in the numbers and I also don’t want to discredit the timeline,” he said.
New York made six roster moves, also activating infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and right-hander Fernando Cruz from the injured list, recalling right-hander Yerry de los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, optioning infielder Jorbit Vivas to the RailRiders and designating right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
A 31-year-old right-hander who can become a free agent this autumn, Weaver is 1-1 with a 1.05 ERA and eight saves in nine chances. He supplanted Clay Holmes as closer last September.
From May 20-22, Weaver became the first Yankees pitcher to appear on three consecutive regular-season days since Aroldis Chapman in September 2021, though Weaver's first outing in that stretch lasted just two pitches, and the three totaled 18.
“It's hard to pinpoint one thing," Weaver said. "I know what my body is capable of. I was very blindsided by the fact that this happened.”
Williams, a two-time All-Star acquired from Milwaukee in December, is 2-2 with a 6.35 ERA in 26 games, saving six games in seven chances.
“It was just a product of him scuffling there for a few outings out of the gate,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “I feel like over the last month he’s throwing the ball really well. He’s in a really good rhythm right now — fully expect him to be the dominant guy he’s been throughout his career.”
Williams allowed Carlos Santana’s one-out double and pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann’s two-out RBI single in the ninth, then retired Bo Naylor on a flyout.
More than two months into the season, Williams said he is far more comfortable than during his early season stumbles.
“I'm in a routine now. I was still figuring it out at the beginning of the year and it’s a big adjustment to make, just in life,” he said. “Getting to the field every day was like — you've got to figure out when you've got to leave and what time do I need to leave to be there when I want to be there and things like that.”
New York made Weaver's IL placement retroactive to Monday and Boone said it wasn’t clear yet whether Weaver will need a platelet-rich plasma injection.
“Definitely a blow, one that I think we can handle and withstand,” Boone said.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb