Every game after a trade deadline in which the Yankees did not add to their bullpen (and in fact subtracted) can feel like a referendum on Brian Cashman’s Aug. 3 decision-making.
After Monday’s loss, when Angel Chivilli imploded, Cashman could have been torched.
A night later, Cashman could have felt justified.
Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick and David Bednar were excellent in combining for three scoreless innings in relief of Ryan Weathers to preserve a 2-0 victory over the Cardinals.
Headrick and Bednar did well to escape inherited danger. In the seventh, Headrick entered and induced a ground out from Nathan Church to strand a runner on third, before he passed a jam on to Bednar in the eighth, who struck out Nelson Velázquez on three pitches with the bases loaded before completing the club’s 12th shutout of the year.
“He’s been great,” manager Aaron Boone said of Bednar, who pitched a clean ninth and has not allowed a run in 24 of his past 25 appearances. “It’s been a couple months now where it’s been really lockdown by him.”
Their trade deadline inaction, when the only Yankees bullpen moves were shipping out Camilo Doval and Yovanny Cruz, will place additional pressure on the bullpen and its expected additions.
One of those possible additions, Clarke Schmidt, was expected to see a doctor Tuesday night after a shortened live batting practice earlier in the day, though the Yankees were not expressing much concern.
Schmidt, building up from 2025 Tommy John surgery and facing hitters again in what might have been a final step before a rehab assignment, felt some cramping in his forearm, which cut short his afternoon.
Expected to throw three “innings,” Schmidt settled for two.
“Hopefully it’s not much, but enough for him to say, ‘Let’s not do the third up,’” Boone said. “We’ll see what that looks like today and tomorrow.”
Boone said there were no immediate plans for Schmidt to receive imaging and, “Hopefully it’s just some cramping.”
Along with Schmidt, Will Warren and/or Weathers could become bullpen additions. One of the latter two would be transitioned if the Yankees’ rotation is at full health.
That dream is growing closer to becoming reality, Carlos Rodón coming through his own live BP on Monday well and expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Boone said.
Taking at-bats against Schmidt, for a second straight day of facing live pitching, was Giancarlo Stanton, Boone said.
Stanton, who had not faced live pitching before Monday since suffering the setback with his calf injury, continues to feel well as he slowly adds more to his regimen, Boone said.
Cody Bellinger (hamstring strain) is still weeks away from a return, but he is making encouraging progress, Boone said, after Bellinger ran in the outfield before the game.
“Belli’s trending in a really good direction, so I don’t think that’ll be too long,” Boone added.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s second-inning home run snapped an 0-for-13 stretch.
