The New York Yankees’ pitching depth took another hit earlier this month when left-hander Ryan Weathers departed his start against the Toronto Blue Jays with left forearm discomfort.
What followed was a diagnosis of a low-grade flexor strain, a 15-day injured list stint, and a cautious but optimistic outlook that the 26-year-old could still contribute before the regular season ends.
Weathers was acquired from the Miami Marlins in the offseason and delivered the most durable and effective campaign of his career. Through 25 starts he posted a 3.60 ERA with a career-high 143 strikeouts in 137 1/3 innings.
He had been particularly sharp in the second half, entering the August 22 outing with a 1.94 ERA over his previous seven starts.
That run ended in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. After throwing a 78.4 mph sweeper to Myles Straw—his 72nd pitch of the afternoon—Weathers left the mound with an athletic trainer. Imaging the next day confirmed a flexor strain but revealed no structural damage to the ulnar collateral ligament or elbow.
The left-hander himself described the issue as milder than a similar strain that cost him a month with Miami a year earlier. “It’s almost not even a Grade 1 strain,” he said. “Just a very low grade. More just irritated than anything.”
Manager Aaron Boone initially said Weathers would not throw for two to four weeks and that there was “a great chance” he would pitch again this season “in some capacity,” language that pointed toward a bullpen role rather than an immediate return to the rotation.
But on Saturday, with the Yankees in the midst of a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, Boone offered a slightly more encouraging timeline. Weathers, he said, would be on “the very short side” of that two- to four-week shutdown. “He’s doing well.”
The official club injury report lists a late-September target and notes the team’s optimism that he can return this year, possibly as a reliever.
The timing is inconvenient. The Yankees have already absorbed absences from Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried and others while trying to close the gap on the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
Starting pitching has been one of their few consistent strengths, and Weathers had become a reliable piece of that group. His workload this season already exceeds previous career highs, so a transition to multi-inning relief could serve both his health and the club’s October needs if New York reaches the postseason.
For now the plan is rest, then a measured throwing program.
If the early signs hold, Weathers could still factor into the stretch run. The Yankees will take any version of him they can get.
