Yankees’ Ryan Weathers Misses Start Due to Illness

Ryan Weathers mentioned that if he had pitched on Thursday as planned, it wouldn’t have been his best effort. The Yankees left-hander lost 9 pounds over a couple of days because of an illness, which forced the team to pull him from the last game against the Rangers and replace him with Paul Blackburn.

Weathers revealed that he felt unwell during his last outing against the Orioles, where he gave up three runs (one earned) in five innings. After that game, he went home, suspecting he might have had food poisoning.

His condition worsened, resulting in severe vomiting. By Sunday, he had a fever of 102 degrees and spent the next few days resting at home. While he wasn’t exactly sure what he was dealing with—something viral, perhaps—he felt better by Tuesday, reporting back to the team after days of limited food and fluids. On Wednesday, after receiving an IV and completing a full training session, he indicated he was getting back to normal.

Weathers is expected to throw a side session on Friday and is likely to start in the series opener against Baltimore on Monday.

“My arm feels really good,” he said Wednesday, reflecting on the Yankees’ 6-1 defeat to the Rangers. “It was strange. Frustrating, really. My body felt strong, and my arm felt great. This illness was one of the weirdest I’ve gone through.”

In other news, Jose Caballero’s left elbow X-rays came back negative, and he seems optimistic about playing Thursday. He took a curveball to his elbow during the third inning and was visibly in pain but continued to play.

Manager Aaron Boone praised Caballero, who was dealing with swelling in his elbow, saying, “We got him in the right spot.”

Jerry de los Santos, who had an impressive outing against the Rangers—allowing no runs in 3¹/₃ innings—has been sent back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to clear a space for another reliever.

Reinforcements are on the way: Carlos Rodon is wrapping up his rehab and is anticipated to join the rotation on Sunday as the Yankees wrap up their series in Milwaukee.

After Tuesday’s win, the Yankees demoted Elmer Rodriguez, and with Rodon’s return, the rotation will include other key pitchers such as Max Fried, Cam Schlitler, Will Warren, and Weathers, alongside Gerrit Cole, who is also set to return soon.

In his rehab appearances, Rodon has pitched 85 pitches across three starts, racking up 16 strikeouts and posting a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings.

“I feel like he’s throwing the ball well,” Boone said about Rodon, who allowed six earned runs in 6¹/₃ innings during his last training outing. “He’s starting to control his stuff. He seems ready.”

Rodon has expanded his pitch repertoire to five different types and utilized all of them on Tuesday. While his velocity was slightly lower than the previous season, averaging 93.3 mph, he’s expected to have more energy and adrenaline while pitching in a major league game.

“I think he’s ready,” Boone added, referencing Rodon’s recovery from offseason surgery.

As for Cole, he needs “a few more rounds” of rehab, according to Boone. Cole is gradually improving after Tommy John surgery and has made four rehab starts, pitching 4¹/₃ innings on Tuesday. He allowed seven hits and five runs without issuing any walks.

Boone expressed optimism: “He’s filling up the strike zone and hitting 98-99 mph. There were a lot of good things. He got hit a few times, but it wasn’t terrible. I think he’s working on different things each time.”

Ben Rice has been sidelined with a left hand contusion, missing his third consecutive start. Boone had hoped Rice would be available off the bench, but he didn’t end up being used. However, Boone doesn’t anticipate Rice needing a stint on the injured list.

Paul Goldschmidt started at first base but had a tough outing, going hitless in three at-bats.

Boone didn’t expect Giancarlo Stanton to start running on Wednesday. Although he’s eligible for activation from the injured list, Stanton has been dealing with a mild calf strain and hasn’t begun a running program.

Before the game, Fried won his fourth Gold Glove Award, marking his first as a Yankee.

Anna Gold, the 2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Rookie of the Year, had the honor of throwing out the first pitch.