Yankees’ Return Home: Injury Updates on Dominguez and Weaver

Before heading back to New York after their latest games, Jackson Dominguez seemed relatively unfazed. Meanwhile, Luke Weaver, who was under treatment for his hamstring issues, avoided discussing his condition.

The Yankees arrived early Monday morning following a 6-3 road trip on the West Coast. They held their breath, anxious to learn how both Dominguez and Weaver were feeling, especially after suffering injuries during their victory against the Dodgers.

Weaver had completed his warm-up and was finishing the ninth inning when he started to stretch. “I felt something in the middle of my hamstring,” he remarked, with Coach Aaron Boone expressing hope that it wasn’t anything too serious.

This season, Weaver has been a standout, boasting a 1.05 ERA with eight saves and 24 strikeouts over 25⅔ innings of work. If he ends up on the injured list, there’s a chance Devin Williams might be reinstated to the closer role after Boone had pulled him from that position in late April.

Williams has gradually improved since then. He hasn’t allowed a run in 13 of his last 15 outings, though he faced some challenges the previous week against the Angels when Weaver was unavailable due to consecutive days of pitching. During that game, Williams allowed a couple of runs but managed to secure a 3-2 victory.

On Sunday, Williams took the mound in the 6-3 game, handling hitters like Hesong Kim and Teoscar Hernandez effectively. After a shaky start to the season that affected his swing-and-miss capability, he seems to have found his rhythm again in May, achieving a whimsical 34.8% strikeout rate.

Coach Boone mentioned last week that Williams appears to have regained his edge on the mound, suggesting that he’s finding his rhythm just in time as the season progresses.

Looking ahead, the Yankees plan to reinstate Fernando Cruz to the bullpen on Tuesday. Mark Reiter Jr. has also been pitching well, offering the team valuable options in the second half of innings based on matchup scenarios.

Monday’s off-day might be just what the Yankees need for a bullpen reset, especially since Carlos Carrasco, who was called on Sunday, shouldn’t be needed anymore. Yerry de Los Santos moved to Triple-A to clear space, allowing the injured Weaver’s replacement to return to the active roster by Tuesday, with Cruz stepping in for Carrasco.