The New York Yankees chose not to make a significant bullpen addition at the trade deadline, a decision rooted in their belief that relievers already on the roster could carry them through the stretch run.
Left-hander Brent Headrick has been a prime example of that faith, emerging as one of the club’s most dependable high-leverage arms.
On Wednesday in Baltimore he worked a perfect seventh inning, picking up his seventh win of the season in a 5-3 victory over the Orioles. The outing was his 65th appearance of the year and left him with a 1.55 ERA.
Those numbers are impressive, yet they also highlight a growing issue inside the organization.
Headrick has now thrown 64 innings, the heaviest workload of his four-year major-league career and well beyond what he typically logged after moving from the starting rotation.
“Obviously it’s a concern when you get to this volume of work,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake told The Athletic. “But it’s something we’ve just got to monitor down the stretch and be smart about trying to win every game versus trying to set ourselves up for October.”
The left-hander is being asked to pitch on little rest far more often than he ever did as a starter. New York has been locked in a series of tight, low-scoring games while chasing Tampa Bay in the American League East, turning Headrick into a near-nightly option.
Headrick has tried to manage the physical and mental load by stripping away anything that is not game-related. He told The Athletic he is “eliminating the extra stressors outside of it as much as possible. All of my workload is coming from the game. But I’m still able to be built up and go out there with as close to the best version of myself as I can.”
He added that the sheer number of appearances feels unusual, but yesterday is already gone and only the next outing matters.
At his current pace Headrick would finish with more than 80 regular-season appearances, something no Yankees pitcher has done since 2012.
The club still holds a 99.7 percent chance of reaching the postseason, so he is expected to be a key piece in October. Extra starting pitching depth could help lighten the burden.
Max Fried, currently on the injured list, along with Will Warren and possibly Clarke Schmidt, could be available for relief innings, a strategy similar to the one the 2025 Dodgers used successfully.
New York’s bullpen already ranks second in the majors with a 3.02 ERA. Adding those extra arms to Headrick, Fernando Cruz, Paul Blackburn and closer David Bednar would give the Yankees an even deeper group for the playoffs.
The remaining weeks of the regular season will test how carefully the team can balance winning now against keeping Headrick ready for what they hope is a long October.
